The Fairy Garden

http://NameYourDesire.blogspot.com/2015/09/the-fairy-garden.html


The Fairy Garden

If the old wooden gate is locked on the outside
You won't get into the Fairy Garden.

If you are inside the Fairy Garden already
And the the old wooden gate is locked on the inside
You are probably a fairy.
You can get out whenever you want.

If two human people approach
The gate of the Fairy Garden
From the outside
It will always be locked.

If one human person approaches
The gate of the Fairy Garden
Alone
It will sometimes be unlocked.

If that one human person is carrying a book
The door will not only be unlocked;
It will be open.

Books open doors.

It is quiet in the Fairy Garden
But quiet in a busy way.

You don't see the fairies at first;
You smell them
Or you hear them.

They smell of their friends:
They smell of honeysuckle;
Of lavender; of roses.

They sound like dragonfly wings
Slowed down slightly
To a hum flutter
Of soft petals
Surfing the air.

It is shady in the Fairy Garden
But the sun is shining brightly
Outside the shade.

The sun is yellow sparklers.
The shade is a leaf-dark
Deep green sanctuary
Of unseen whispers
Wing-wise and waiting.

The scent shifts.
The wings waft.

It is best to sit down.

It is best to sit down
With your book
On the old stone bench
By the old brick wall.

Don't worry about the moss
And the lichens.
They have been sat on before
By bringers of books
On sunny afternoons
With the fairies close
But not quite touching.

People often fall asleep here.

When they do
The gate of the Fairy Garden
Closes quietly
And locks itself on the inside
So that you
And the fairies
Will not be disturbed.

There is a tinkle in the corner.

The old fountain works its water
In bubbles and plops
And plashes and splashes
Across moss-covered stones
And leafy liverworts
Glistening with spray
And dripping.

You need to be fast asleep
To feel the fountain.

Alcuin Bramerton (2015)