The veil
suspended
ethereally in front of the bride’s face
did nothing to disguise her beauty
her complete joy
as she gazed into the eyes of her beloved
and repeated her vows
***
Cheers rang loudly
from gathered relatives and friends
witnessing their delight and anticipation
as the two pledged to become one
Countless devices whirled and clicked
as watchers sought to engrave the moment
in artificial memory
***
Little ones danced and jigged
caught up in the excitement
Young girls daydreamed of their own fairy-tale wedding
Teens gazed dumb-struck
Within a few short years it could be them
Mature married couples remembered their vows
and pledged themselves to each other anew
***
Young mothers leaked tears of joy
that their own union had
at last been fruitful
Little footsteps had been a long time in coming
For some the occasion was bitter-sweet
reminding them of their own faded hopes and dreams
as time spun on
***
For still others
it was life affirming
a cycle so individual
and yet so oft repeated
a cycle of glorious endings and beginnings
of legacy, of heritage
of new birth
***
The bride
Rose and fell
With the cadence of the music
Resounding through the church
Their vows of mutual lifelong passion and service
Still ringing in her heart
***
‘For better, for worse
For richer, for poorer,
In sickness and in health
Until death do us part’
*****
~ Michelle Sherlock ~
Image: Looking4GodToday.wordpress.com
Poet's Corner 