THE WEDDING ~ THROUGH THE DOOR TOGETHER (An Original Poem)

The groom stood alone outside
the south door of the wedding church,
pale-faced and wide-eyed,
gulping down air to slow his heartbeat
and calm his nerves. He paced in tight circles.

Loud honking drew his eyes to the sky where
he tracked a large V of geese flapping south toward warmth.
Mating for life for life, they protected each other.
He shivered in his wedding suit as he watched them disappear.
Then he thought about his own family.

His great grandfather sailed back to the old country
to find a wife, and returned to America for a better life.
He fought in WWI, while she kept their small farm going.
When he returned, they raised a brood of kids and thrived together
for over 70 years.

Grampa met Gramma at a church fair and married her six months later.
When he went off to fight Hitler, Gramma joined the war effort
by working for poor pay at a southside factory under "You Can Do It" posters.
She planted Victory gardens and bought a U.S. savings bond.
When Grampa returned, they were never apart again.

Dad met Mom at a dance They fell in love, but didn't marry until
he returned from 'Nam, a war he never spoke of ever.
He built their first house, worked as a short haul trucker, and played the fiddle,
while Mom taught at the local grade school. They raised 6 kids together,
always together like two halves of the same person.

The groom paced. They all had such good stories that he admired.
The only battles he fought were with himself. He met his
soon-to-be wife at Burning Man. She was a blogger and
he traded bitcoin. No one in their families understood
what they did, but they loved both of them.

Two straggler geese headed south together, chasing the V ahead,
coupled with each other for the journey and for life.
He squared his shoulders and went back through the side
church door that offered him a path to warmth. He stood
at the crossing at the end of the aisle, his eyes locked on the entrance doors.

As the organist and violinist began Pachelbel's Canon,
the groom smiled at the giggling flower girl and the skipping ring bearer.
His parents came next holding hands and
as they reached him, he embraced them and said
Thank you. I love you and watched his anchors move to a pew.

His bride glided down the aisle with measured step
between her father and mother. He saw the fear in her eyes,
and the question form on her lips. She looked like she might bolt.
It's o.k. he whispered, willing her to hear his words. We'll be fine.
She arrived, her parents both lifted her veil, and placed her hand in his.

And then they were alone in the crowd for a second. He leaned
forward and said quietly, It's o.k. We're in this together, forever.
Together, she said and squeezed his hand.
Her smile was the southern warmth and sun that he and the geese were chasing,
Her love offered him the chance to write his own story with her.

United, they turned to face the priest.

I hope you like my poem.  @nubchai

Image Credit: Pixabay