On Miracles Instead Poem by Mary Angela Douglas

heaven's blessing on the picture books
that helped me to remember through all decades
the little house surrounded by apple blooms
was real
in the picture the clouds outlined in sky blue
and as you turned the pages
yes each season was real
outlined in red and gold
in the pink and blue the violet of shaded snows
in summers' green gold effervescence
and with a bottle of strawberry pop
I can tell you
I was not born to collect the facts
the facts that flatten the world
more than any cartologist could do
in fanciful centuries
and neither should you
when everything is built
on miracles instead.
oh don't be misled
by anyone's stark opinion
to the contrary.

mary angela douglas 28 may 2023