Apres Le Deluge And The Wounding Decree Poem by Mary Angela Douglas

the kings roses are in bloom
whose else could bloom
in winter snows and cast

a pink tinge on everything
even my old gown she sighed when
creeping round the edges

of the parchment multifoliate
the painted flowers cannot detract
from the decree

of wounding me.

I hide in the shade of smiles
I can't remember when
all this happened

still. and roses fade
but not the brier
roses fade and not the brier

she sang on one note only
till the last string broke.
and word of this floated

out of the Kingdom.

mary angela douglas 19 may 2015