The Striped Goodness Of The Candy Cane Carousels Poem by Mary Angela Douglas

for every child who ever wished it could be Christmas in summer, too
(and spring, and fall...)

the striped goodness of the candy cane carousels
cannot diminish; the horses breathing varicoloured
fire and orbiting the part of the pasture someone earlier

declared: this is the county fair.
set stakes and dream; the big tent is your home.
o there's no homework there.

my taffy apples I will keep awhile.
the fruit flavored, coloured ices in a cone
of glacial delight. and pink spun, the mystical

sugar on the distaff of plain fun.
here you forget it's so far to Christmas.
and think, what if the child Jesus was born in summer?

we would have let him ride for free on everything
when he got a little older.
penny candies spilling from his pockets

with a strange, star-like glow.

and the shepherds winning lambs in every colour
for their sweethearts.
and meadow jams and flowers

of Tyrian purple and the rarer, scarlet.

mary angela douglas 21 july 2014