Valerie Gillies
The Wedding Reel
True love which lovers promise has one aim:
if you are two, then you’ll be two the same
As plants that grow around the tree in vines
where shoots climb elms to shelter from the wind
As king and queen are printed on a suit of cards
in every game they play with their whole Hearts
As ring and finger from today will go together
fitting two hands, handfast to one another
As silver buckles on a belt are clasped
so linked in love they’ll live and hold at last
As two streams flow to join the greater river
the land between is fruitful, blessed for ever
As verse and tune match one harmonious ideal
you’ll dance barefoot in the first wedding reel
The love which lovers promise to themselves is meant
to make two separate pasts become a single present.