Tuesday, May 23, 2006

LESBIAN MARRIAGE

by Mary Saracino


no bands of gold, no tiered cake, no training veils
of lacy white, no engraved invitations, no roses entwined

in hair, short or long, no gifts wrapped in silver paper
no bells ringing, no mother or father to smile and beam

no certificate inked with official signatures
no baby’s breath bouquets, no minister or priest

no Jordan almonds to decorate china plates
no champagne toasts, no tears of joy, no eloquent speeches

no colorful streamers kissing the edges of chrome bumpers
no honking horns, no waving well-wishers

No way

merely two women in love, defying the No of laws
subverting the notion of matrimony, two souls

eye to eye, under the starry sky or the cloudless morning
daring Yes, making a marriage where none is perceived

forging a union where one is forbidden, enacting
a lifelong commitment where one is denounced

vowing to have and to hold, from this day forward
‘til death do they part, despite what the naysayers say


Mary Saracino is a novelist, memoir writer, and poet who lives in Denver, CO. Her newest novel, The Singing of Swans is to be published by Pearlsong Press in October 2006.