Then she realised, as we all do,
That to be free she had to give it up
Give away the beauty that clung to her
The perfumed roses filled with bees
From the splashing pools of water lilies
And move to somewhere more hidden
Where what mattered was not life itself
But giving it away
Slowly and gently
Letting the seabirds
Carry her clothes far out
Over the gold
Where all that playing had gone on
And shells gathered
Open oneself and throw
These shingled things to the sky
And not worry anymore
Just let it go.


Love Mary **