So Vivid It Is The Riddle At Last Unraveling Poem by Mary Angela Douglas

so vivid it is
the riddle at last unraveling
the seemingly last paper window left
to unclose in the Christmas advent castle
stained glass illuminations falling with you
onto the shadows of snows turned suddenly Rose
almost Dante's
is what they say
about the end
and coming back from it
with merry angels sledding you
stickily summer playground slidelike through the tunnels
of crepe paper festooned
crimson and green, the waffling bells, soft pastels twinkling
everywhere, the scent of the forest the grandiose firs
goodbye to Hans Andersen musing beside the shores
the harbour's mermaid and all that Danish lore
the butter cookies in the blue tins
the pine needles crunching under snows you anticipate
sweetly the orange cloves and infinite peppermints
only Heaven knows
how to string ornaments so they
do indeed mingle with fairy lights
or Yeats silver moths
His purpling declamations
or everything you have missed about home
for so long.
mary angela douglas 17 september 2023