Castles Poem by Mary Angela Douglas

\I learned about inner castles
First from St. Teresa of Avila
Then, Vladimir Bukovsky
Kafka, shortly after, his castle most dubious.
But farther back in childhood
I remember the first castle of
Disneyland I think, the Sleeping Beauty Castle
Its pink and blue, its turrets rising freshly in Anaheim
Where orange groves had been when Walt was still alive
And in his hey day
And I thought somehow
If we could go there and
I could pass through those rosy gates
They would confer on me
The true title of Princess.
Alas this was not to be
And I wept almost inconsolably
I'll never be a princess now! At six years old.
We had Disney records, went to the earliest
Disney films the fairytales especially
Beautifully animated on Saturday matinees
Had sheet music too
And sang as well about Alice
In the golden afternoon.
I wept so hard I don't have any tears left
For that missed opportunity
Looking back Im sorry I grieved my grandparents so
They made up for it in so many ways
We saw the World's Fair in 1964
We had bubble lights and a color wheel
for our aluminum Christmas tree
I got to put either angel or Star atop
It was my choice
I should have understood
My one true joy
Living with them and my sister
My mother there on visits
My father's house on Sundays
Our little dog too making things merry
Whenever the doorbell rang
The best castles of all
I was already welcome in.
Anyone can wear a tiara.
mary angela douglas 25 april 2024