Of Cherry Ripening Song Poem by Mary Angela Douglas

how did we live so close to the borders

of cherry ripening song then in the garden

nurseries of the soul watching the jeweled sun motes

come and go in the summer blue room

drifting they were and we, together though we did not

know so then with the reverberations of the piano strings,

wires coiled old gold on the inside beautiful hammers

striking

the velvet

sounding board with each ivory key the raised jet keys in

between

learning the scales as if they were the seas

of music swept over we were, my sister and I in that house

with the rose curtains by sunsets through the green darkening

pines and we made valentines of the dreamy moments

peach melba in the afternoons

time oh time who can measure this

or spoon the bright jelly of it from the golden saucepan

where we served the dolls at table

and they clapped for us without rue

almost leaving us small bouquets.

mary angela douglas 5 november 2022