And time the green unfurling ferns frond

Imagine the world without any feathers
Without an angel—wing in tether
What would be the calling of a thing?
Like a Turtledove, without a ring.

Imagine this world without a marriage
What needs, then us, of a horse and carriage?
The Hurst has been forever busy, as a bee
Who'd want to buttonhole a flower upon me?

Imagine the world without any magic spells
What child would throw pennies downs the well?
Love is but a ripple on a millpond
And time a green unfurling fern-frond.