Double Ceremony

Restrained by the stiff edges of our clothes
We, the uncaring audience, sit uncomfortably still.
Through the painted windows clouds pour
Into the church, offering us a lovely gray cast
Over the pretend-nice decorations that match our pretend-nice outfits.
While we wait and wait and wait and wait
The flowery, prostitute's perfume air
Gives us a good head f**k.
One that we did indeed
Pay for.

Veiled behind the dreary music you can hear the hushed complaints
And the sounds of laughter and gossip.
In the distance a tortured Jesus stares into the eyes of everyone.
He's telling us to shut the f**k up.

We do.
When she comes out
Wearing the expensive, wasteful dress
As icy as snow, as slick and smooth as the lie itself.

Finally Bride and Groom stand together,
Crying out to the stranger in front of them.
All these cliché traditions and words and emotions--
A charade as temporary as the paper wrapping their mounds of undeserved presents. 

In thirty minutes
The beautiful, sincere sentiment will leave,
Much more quickly than the audience is allowed to.
In thirty minutes
No one will be crying or sniffling or trying to do either.
But ringleaders as they are,

The couple is eager to participate in this little drama. 

She blots away mascara as he gazes into her eyes.
All actions perfected during the dress rehearsal.

The vows, the rings, the kiss…
With, of course, the proper amount of tongue,
Tears,
And love.
Parents snap at their restless children
Just as cameras snap at the exuberant couple.
Captured in time,
Pictures of two people forever joined together.

The Bride and the Groom, side by side,
Stand the same way they will stand
When they sign their divorce papers.

Reviews

[Wildecat]

A well penned poem, and sometimes love lasts forever and sometimes it doesn't. Nice write.

[Day]

omg i love this. great job. my favorite part the ending.

The Bride and the Groom, side by side,
Stand the same way they will stand
When they sign their divorce papers

awsome

-Day