After Hans Christian Andersen's The Wild Swans Poem by Mary Angela Douglas

Half sewn the final wing will shine
On the swan constellation
In dead winter
And Elise will rise vindicated
In a gown of green velvet, like the woods.
The nettles will bloom
There will be room for mercy
Beyond justice
The wounds salvaged beyond tears
For mercy beyond justice
Had shone beyond 300 years
When the spell was broken
The princes redeemed
The kings, worthy of their crowns
Cast into the sea of glass
Before The Christ.
mary angela douglas 28 march 2024