Re: wedding material??

[Ann Fisher-Wirth <afwirth@olemiss.edu>]

hi Jeri,
here is the poem I wrote for my daughter 
Jessica's wedding.  I think it is pretty 
eco-friendly, come to think about it.  It is in 
my book Five Terraces.  You are welcome to use it 
if you like...  What look like hyphens are actually dashes.

(Last week I was talking about poetry at Oxford 
High School, and among other things I read this 
poem.  A girl asked me to talk about the stanza 
that mentions the sheets--and I realized, trying 
to understand her question, that she had no 
concept of drying your laundry on the clothesline!  It was cute.)

take care, happy May,
Ann


When You Come to Love


When you come to love,
bring all you have.

Bring the milk in the jug,
the checked cloth on the table­
the conch that sang the sea
when you were small,
and your moonstone rings,
your dream of wolves,
your woven bracelets.

For the key to love is in the fire?s nest,
and the riddle of love
is the hawk?s dropped feather.

Bring every bowl and ewer,
every cup and chalice, jar,
for love will fill them all­

And, dazzled with the day,
fold the sunlight in your sheets,
fold the smell of salt and leaves,
of summer, sweat, and roses,
to shake them out when you need them most,

For love is strong as death.