Ghost Forests Rose In A Dream Poem by Mary Angela Douglas

ghost forests rose in a dream

lichen and moss and the little streams

a pale light was drifting through

all of the trees that you knew

in a smoke blue afternoon

and the tang of the air

the tang of the stars were everywhere

though not discerned.

I sat there quite alone

on a rust and cobalt stone

on slate from a crumbling stair

on a tree stump with broad leaves

and listened to an aeolian breeze

and thought of life and the world to come

of the days when the trees were tipped with flame

and then they gave me back my name.

mary angela douglas 9 july 2023