Elegy For A Cloud Well Painted (Final Version) Poem by Mary Angela Douglas

to the last puffy cloud on the schoolroom wall
the one outlined in blue with a very large brush
held by a very small hand
I send my skyrocket rhinestone regards
they won't make much noise
just my shadow kite scudding through grass
a brisk March wind while the ghosts sing
with their violets:
Lass With A Delicate Air;
on P.T.A.. nights when the stars glittering
made even the chalkboards seem enchanted
the parents and teachers, magical beings.
my classmates, dream figments floating out onstage
how will I remember you childhood
at the last moment
will I tilt the pink sand through the tiny hourglass again
or will I fall back asleep into the chocolate christened earth
knowing that soon in the sugurplum morning
it will have to be Christmas Day

mary angela douglas 31 december 2021; 27 march 2023