I haven’t done the Wordle for the Sunday Whirl in a while, but these words leapt out at me. I think it’s because I’ve been immersed in the October Memoir and Backstory Blog Challenge for the last two weeks.
All of you who know me know I don’t consider myself a poet, but here’s what came out of this week’s Wordle list. It breaks the chain of memories by jumping ahead a few years, but it still fits the challenge.
Here are the words: umbrella, deeper, inherit, excuses, stand, become, thunder, childhood, joined, vowed, shifts, light . . .
Wedding March
We needed umbrellas that hot afternoon.
The end of June, thunderstorms were common
but this one didn’t last long. The clouds soon
shifted and light broke through. We would have to dig
deeper for excuses—I in my white dress
and he in a tux that didn’t quite fit.
In an upstairs room I waited, wilting.
My childhood friend pushed back my damp bangs
and grasped my hand, but what did she know
about standing in the church, poised
to be joined to a boy it turns out I hardly knew?
My father waited at the top of the stairs,
and I wondered what would become of me.
Then he walked me down, and the boy and I
vowed to cherish, to inherit each other’s woes.
Gerry Wilson 
I think you need to write more poetry, Gerry. This was wonderful! Truly…
Thanks for linking this up with the TALU!
LikeLike
Thanks, Anne. I was doing the Sunday Whirl Wordle fairly regularly for a while but I’ve gotten away from it. Maybe I’ll try it again! I love playing with words.
LikeLike
Yes, the cups are overflowing. Who knew? So glad to have been on this adventure of Jane Ann’s challenge with you. It is stretching beyond normal limits, but you are meeting it with such grace.
LikeLike
It is stretching, and I don’t know about doing it with grace. (Thank you!) Time is getting tight. We’ll have company for the next ten days, so I may not make the goal of twenty-five posts. Whatever I manage to do, I believe it’s been a very worthwhile project!
LikeLike
I just had company the last 15 days, so I feel your anxiety about keeping up. But I echo your sentiment that it has been well worth it no matter the final tally.
LikeLike
“In an upstairs room I waited, wilting.”
Perhaps that was a sign? Lovely piece.
LikeLike
My grandmother always said a marriage was doomed it it rained on your wedding day! So maybe it was a sign. Thanks, Laurie, for commenting.
LikeLike
I always look forward to finding out how you’ll meet this challenge, Gerry! I’m impressed, given the word restrictions, at how well you’ve captured the feelings one has on the verge of this momentous step. I love the line, ‘a boy it turns out I hardly knew” and then ends with thatinteresting twist on the vows.
Jane Ann
http://www.janeannmclachlan.com
LikeLike
I started to call it “First Wedding,” which would be accurate but I felt would give away too much! We were *so* young and had so much growing up to do. I’ll get to all that before the challenge is over. I thank you again for this challenge. I started out with fear and trembling because I didn’t believe I could come up with enough memories! My cup overflows.
LikeLike
Very good, Gerry. I like this!
LikeLike
Thank you, Claire. It’s the first one I’ve tried in a while.
LikeLike