Forgotten Waltz No.2 (After Liszt) Poem by Mary Angela Douglas

subsiding in the crystal wave,
the mermaid turns of phrasing
let us renounce
while we still can

the plated words, the minimal things to say
that wear off quickly and betray-
while the heart's

own music is buried.

oh when
will the jeweled cathedral

rise
from the lake of mere forgetfulness;
the sword be taken back

from the glistening hand-
and who told you

the prospering word,
laconic
day was gold-

and a necessary armour?

mary angela douglas 3 september 2011