The Aftermath Of Stars Poem by Mary Angela Douglas

in the aftermath of stars would we
have twirled like our spinning tops
in our skirts of pure iridescence

this I leave you to decide
when sorting out slides of
family vacations unrealized

and hiding your tiaras in cotton wool
your sets of amethyst and of
forgotten jewels

nameless they shall remain.
would we have twirled like electrons
frozen in the textbook diagrams

but in the real world it is surmised
they twirl in the shells of the atom invisibly...
seashells? your mind wanders

in the chemistry classroom, painted pale green and
the teacher is not pleased.
what strange alchemies have these

the elements of dream
recalled from great distances
or they seem to be

did we leave sparkles on the trail
so that we may be found later
by the King of Light?

mary angela dougals 6 october 2017