Of All The Songs That Orpheus Sang Poem by Mary Angela Douglas

of all the songs that Orpheus sang it's
well I could imagine this one
the song of the overcoming flowers
battling the ice and storms
of the Far North
and valorous in their gaining ground
and petal by petal the arpeggios of jasmine
intensified, sweet, beneath the suddenly iris coloured skies
unerringly dew spangled processions sweeping the fields
the out of the way places and the birds returning
trilling the flowers on the small flowers speckled with gold
unthawing the brooks
with their reflections mirrored and laughing like little bells
and the pines cheering
the evergreens, the evergreen music twining around the stars
earth warming to the sounds of quickening and the margins
of the books of first illuminations bursting into flame
sunning the earth and the poet's heart
reigning
and raining down in profusions of victories
multifoliate, the roses
the lilies stalwart at their stations
the violets in tender grass surpassing
the heavy shadow over all things and the dreariness
passing, passing out of the earth's orbit
forever.

mary angela douglas 14 march 2023