Interim Poem by Mary Angela Douglas

for Ilya and Emilia Kabakov



how to meet an angel

nor fall into the waves

how to find a rooftop

to balance lightly there

until the wind plucks at the harps

a holy fool left there

from a distant ladder

on an unofficial stage

how to dream within a dream

the page within a page

how to capture moonlight

in a battered kitchen jar

preserving it a little

for the times not as they are

to follow the instructions

to leave the door ajar

to save your soul or someone's

from the official hours

to sing to hidden glory

the name of God embowered

reciting all the lilies

from a cluttered floor

to eat an apple really

and gild the magic core

to know what music's for

so mourners at the funeral

may weep into a cloud

and rain itself may hesitate

the Mysteries are so loud.

mary angela douglas 10 june 2023