By Nancy Haskett
Modesto Branch, California
It’s one of the last photos
in our white Hallmark album –
both of us running away from the church,
heads down, smiling,
hands clasped together,
toward our car and honeymoon.
In the almost-fifty-years
since that night in September,
the Kodachrome colors have faded,
paled the dress I wear in the picture,
but I am sure it was classic blue,
sleeveless, with white daisies appliqued around the hem,
like the daisies that decorated my wedding dress,
and the real ones in the corsage pinned to my sheer coat,
lightweight and lacy
to show off the vibrant blue underneath.
We hadn’t gone far from the church
when we pulled into the parking lot
of a Denny’s or IHOP;
too nervous to eat much before the ceremony,
we realized we were hungry,
took a seat in the padded booth,
laughed as we shook rice from our heads and clothes,
twisted the new rings on our fingers.
Your words create beautiful images. Love your poem
Nancy, I love how you managed to capture the spark, the freshness of newly-wedded bliss
with such ease, and artful incorporation of details. It reminded me of how my husband and I delighted in twisting our new rings and shaking the rice off of our hair and clothing all those years ago in January of 1968. My spouse may have passed away, but you have reawakened that vibrancy in my spirit and recaptured those cherished memories of our wedding day in your gem of a poem. Breathtaking…
Thanks, Calder!!
More than nostalgia, poignant, moving. A hopeful look back to a time of great hope.
Beautiful images!
Claire Massey
NLAPW Poetry Editor
Love the visuals in this! So vivid!
Best poem I’ve read in a long time. The rhythm, read out loud to my husband, is beautiful. I’m touched. I hope you are working on a book of your poems.
As a matter of fact, I have a poetry collection coming out probably in July. It will be available on Amazon and will be called “Shadows and Reflections”. Thanks!
Let us know when it does come out. It will be a treasure, for sure.
Ah the days of daisies and blue dresses, a stop before the Honeymoon to have a burger or some fries. Such a special moment and yet you show that a marriage is about the regular needs of life. Food, fun and cleaning up along the way. This brings back memories. I went to a senior ball at a boys’ prep school that was housed in a castle. I was a date, a fix-up because this young man was a border from far away and they did not have regular interactions with young women. My dress was a pink princess style; it really seemed like it was designed for one, Had white daisy appliques along the waist and also on the pink ribbon that held up this bustle like section in the back. I wore long white gloves. It was a lot of fun. The ordinary though was lacking since we did not converse much as we were strangers and shy!! In a second life, I would have insisted on some pre-ball “dates” or chances to go out for fries for me, and maybe a burger for him!!! So we would at least have had an icebreaker!!!! Loved the poem, Nancy. Thanks.
Thanks! And I hope you’re written a poem about your own senior ball! I can picture the pink dress with the daisy appliqués and your long white gloves! Lovely image!