The Way We Remembered It Then Poem by Mary Angela Douglas

THE WAY WE REMEMBERED IT THEN

For Andrei Tarkovsky, beyond Time for some time now

is Time there frozen at the heart of all roses
the way we remembered it then
or the pearl of the marvelous dissolved

in the intricate life of trees
trees and their roots
the shadows of clouds

on the ground
in the mirror that is our Heaven
as it was then

in the failing of flowers
drop by drop of water
the necessary the beautiful confounded together

in the composing mind at war, Time-
will these diaries remain
the inner of, flame of them

unquenched despite the obvious assaults
how fraught was beauty to us then
the petalls slipping from the boughs

but how dreamed the child
how does it pass
Time in the lookinglass surveilled

when dreaming of the end; the past,
and have you escaped all charges at last

in railing against
the heart of all roses, frozen

mary angela douglas 6 july 2018