At Home Poem by Mary Angela Douglas

lost on the tides, it seems forever
lost when the twilight turns to stars
lost with the hymns we used to sing there
my grandparents reciting
Crossing the Bar.
there by the lamplight reading us stories
sharing the glories of musical scores
sharpening pencils, shining our shoes
telling us always to do well in school
soothing our troubles with lullabies then...
the mists close in.

I know it's the same from age to age
and written on every family's page
till then there was one like a mystery story
when all whom you knew
have gone to Glory.

the years have scuttled, October's leaves
no matter how modern the future seems
for one glimpse of home you would pack it all in
for how it was
then.

but Be Not Dismayed I hear once again
the pines near our house sing in sweet accustomed winds
and I know that I'll be there with all the bells on
it won't be that long.
the last miles are best
when there's so much to win.
seek Heaven. they're all at home there.

mary angela douglas 16 may 2023