Shelley's spyglass dressed in pearl
salvaged from his last foray
I glimpsed in a picture from the Bodleian Library only today.
and could not look away.
for it seemed through the lens
whispered other worlds
where skylarks soared
and nothing drowned
not even icarus splashing down
and farther along he could be found
the poet of such extravagances
peering into the dear and near unclouded worlds
from the killing wave unfurled by sudden angels;
even as he entered learning, laughing to wade through air
the dome of stained glass Heaven brightening
beyond all human care
Into such fabulous
rose gabled skies.
Adonis, welcoming his fellow spy
holding a capable hand out to him
through the casements of eternal beauty.
mary angela douglas 2 november 2023
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