Windshield Wipers In The Rain Poem by Mary Angela Douglas

Windshield wipers in the rain
Their mesmerizing swish and metronome feeling
Their momentary lullaby and lulling
Recall to me my Grandfather
Driving us to school, my sister and I
The feeling of wanting to remain
In that light blue Ford safe from rain
From looming tests, austere faces
Not to return
To that cold Marian citadel
I knew too well
Adverse to Protestants or so it seemed,
Or adverse to me; completely without gaiety
I swallow my small heart beating. I want to go home.
Let it be Christmas.
Let all the Christmas lights be on
During daylight hours
The tulip bulbed on the shining tree
Let us be in the sanctuary
Of home.
Not to be.
Love is duty and duty is love
For love we abandon all consolation.
Or defer it. That's the deal we've all made.
The first taste of honour on the battlefield.
Sometimes I think of Heaven
As a day that lasts forever home from school
With all the Christmas lights burning daylight
Forever.
mary angela douglas 7 june 2024