Wedding Day
I am afraid.
Sound has stopped in the day
And the images reel over
And over. Why all those tears,
The wild grief on his face
Outside the taxi? The sap
Of mourning rises
In our waving guests.
You sing behind the tall cake
Like a deserted bride
Who persists, demented,
And goes through the ritual.
When I went to the Gents
There was a skewered heart
And a legend of love. Let me
Sleep on your breast to the airport.
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From Seamus Heaney’s 100 Poems, courtesy FSG. Copyright 2019 Seamus Heaney.