The Poem To Thingamabobs Poem by Mary Angela Douglas

for Ray Bradbury in the Golden Age again



this is my poem to thingamabobs, to the newfangled, spangled

lest we forget to love and dust the bric a brac

to sneeze and then discard with these



do not, whose kingdoms you would banish

all the windmilled toys, the click and the clack

the happiness of a hundred million inventions on the track



and train whistled too



world's fair mentions, crystal palaces at end of days

all we sought in little ways and the dollhouse too, the dolls

the amazing maze of all of it all



recall, red rubber balls, jacks handled deftly on a summer porch

the siren calls of toys forever calling you

the hopeful tools that could change everything in the workshop



in one Saturday afternoon littered with



toyshop elfish clues and jiminey cricket this is quite a setup



even with one tweak one twist one game of whist

or mah jong too

one charming turn of the dial



and it's all lit up like Christmas for a while



that may be longer too

if you should choose

you so and so marvelous



was is and will be too

the charming invention and the kite flown

wings and wings of man and icarus breathes again



in all the solar winds



making the angels laugh and spin the children ever merry

oh nation of optimists, come out from the hiding place

and catch as catch can.



mary angela douglas 10 december 2019