Then And Now Poem by Mary Angela Douglas

embroidering the Heavens with your dreams
you neglect the platter to entirely clean
but so did Jack before the magic beans

and then the story grew;
the stalk the generations blessed him to.
rude circumstance and head against the wind

he suffered long before the game of let's pretend
bore fruit or rather, beans
and tirades from his mother when he

spilled the cream
or bartered it for air.
and now he has a talking harp to show for it

much gold to spare!

mary angela douglas 30 march 2016