YOU NEED TO KNOW
2022-06-01

***

I wish it had been a bridal night
instead of a boring nosebleed,
standing over my great-grandma's sink
at three in the morning.
That it had been you taking my breath away
and not clots in my nostrils, down the drain
as if the rivers sent to confirm
I would not give birth
that cycle had gotten lost.

The shed blood and tears,
the countless years
spent in breathless wait
in order to be there
on that belated
celebrated
day.
You in a dress in my favorite hue
and mine you had yourself made.
To finally see the love I could not hide
within my body reflected in your eyes
without fear of a glamour or being a disguise.

You've been so patient with me all my life,
and it's a damn miracle that you still insist
on spending the rest of yours at my side.
But this is how it's supposed to go, right?
You're supposed to marry your best friend,
who knows you like they know themselves,
who will tolerate you at worst until the bitter end.

And I,
I must confide,
can think of no one else I'd
rather spend my life
with.

***

CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 (c) Vane Vander