Playing at Grownups

I've a feeling this might turn into a mini Napowrimo! Today's exercise is to choose a memorable day in your life,  freewrite on it for 10-15 minutes,  then create a poem using at least 5 metaphors or similes. This is much more than I'd usually use, and felt a little forced.  I've chosen to write (with a huge dollop of hindsight) about my first wedding: as I've recently written about my second it seemed only fair. 


Still as a restless statue, I'd lain long hours of the night,  
Uselessly trying to mitigate the spikes of hard rollers,
Listening to the tap-tap of ill-omened rain.

In our long homemade dresses, my sister and I 
Got ourselves ready in our parents' bedroom; 
Kids playing at the grownups we thought we were. 

My nerves and long train loaded into the white Jag, 
My Dad distracted me on the short, momentous journey 
To the church of concrete and glass. 

Vows repeated in an unremembered, dreamlike haze,
We swam radiant through a deluge of confetti.
Legal at last, we were husband and wife.

Back home, home-cooked roast dinner and wedding cake,
Served up on long trestle tables the length of the lounge, 
Decorated with garden flowers, my Mum did us proud.  

Then off we set, suitcases full of optimistic summer clothes,
As inadequately prepared for our cold, wet honeymoon,
As I was for married life. 


© Copyright 2024. Chris Auger. All Rights Reserved

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