The Wedding

At your cousin's wedding

your mother and her sisters

talked of husbands no longer there.

Their eyes whispered,

"Do not be so cautious,

for even love that lasts

is lost."

They wore bangles

bought by men

they thought they would know

forever,

dresses made of silk

they would trade for one last

memory.

A diamond for a touch,

for one warm breath upon a face

lined by time.

A thousand recollections

floating in a champagne stem,

held in trembling hands

that once touched

skin and lips and

never thought about

goodbye

Let us love, you and I,

while we have time

and life and each other,

and drink a toast

to remember.

~ Elodie Pritchartt

4/21/2008

In a Dream

In a Dream

At dawn when the fog
lay heavy on the lake
and sounds were muffled,
I picked blackberries
In a dream.

The world was soft and white,
no vivid blue sky to
sear my eyes and make
them tear.  I stood where
the bluff sloughed off into
emptiness, and peered down
to see if I could find myself.

I listened, but heard only
The grass whispering, shhhh,
Its lilting voice urging calm.
I saw a jeweled coil
At my feet, and thought
It was a gift from you.

I reached, but it moved,
And before I knew what
Tricks can lie in fog-shrouded
Dawns and dreams, it struck 

And as I fell headfirst into
Whiteness, I woke, in sheets
That wrapped me up in dread.
Our bed.  In white.