The Art of Marriage

Towards the end of last year, I wrote a poem for my very dear friend Kate (there she is getting married to her lovely man Steve), who's impending nuptials had prompted her bridesmaid to request some pearls of wisdom from the ladies.

I felt I had many pearls to give, as I was approaching my ten year wedding anniversary (married to the same man - can you believe it?) but as Kate is an English and Drama teacher, my contribution had to be elegant, succinct and worthy.

For days I slaved, perfecting and polishing, until at last a lustrous, wonderful, reasonably auto-biographical pearl emerged. I've been meaning to post my efforts for a while and since it is wedding season again (we've just been to two in the last month) I thought it an appropriate time.

Here goes:

The Art of Marriage

                                                                                    by Tali Ingram

(Note: There is another poem floating about with the same name as mine but that one is total rubbish and mine isn’t.)

A young girl dreams of wedded bliss,

Of harp and strings and that first kiss,

Of flowers, cake,

A dress to take

Her breath away, and her heart miss

A beat just thinking of that kiss.

The young girl dreams of handsome groom,

Of petals scattered ‘round the room,

Of music, rings

And pretty things

Most orchestrated, Love’s full bloom!

And oh! That handsome, handsome groom!

And so the nuptial day draws nigh,

A day of wedded knots to tie,

And in her heart,

A brand new start,

But in a blur it passes by,

The day that makes her father cry.

But marriage is beyond a day,

And fairly soon he’s found a way,

To make it seem,

He is a dream,

And won’t leave dishes where they lay,

Will always put his clothes away,

And won’t waste all the afternoon

Watching re-runs of “Platoon”

Upon the couch,

And though she’ll grouch

And go as crazy as a loon,

He won’t just say “Alright!” and “Soon!”

No undies on the bathroom floor,

Or window rattling, night-time snore,

Unusual smells.

A noise that tells

Of dangerous use of nail and saw.

Oh no! Our girl shall fret no more!

For in her heart of hearts she knows,

It’s nothing like those TV shows,

All roses, wine,

Romance divine.

So with each candle that she blows,

And with each stitch of love she sews,

The girlish veil lifts from her eyes,

Replaced by knowledge, compromise,

Acceptance of

Her groom, her love

And here the golden secret lies,

For Marriage Art is for the wise.