Her Hymn Is A Dirge

Andrew Preston
Isn't that her lounging on the church balcony?
She's in the white dress stained with red and a hint of decay.
Her hand on the trigger that is her bouquet?
A bride and a widow in a single day?
Why did you love him when you had me, girl?
You're eyes shine brighter in the moon, coals and ice.
Your eyes made saints into disease.
I was ready,
but I rushed the heart, you rushed the teeth.
Did she quench her thirst with the tears in the rain
in the midst of a battle with a knife and a vein?
The bells of the wedding and funeral sing,
"Is she in love or is she insane?"
And to bring upon the vows, singing them aloud
as the choir prances to the flower girl and growl
them indiscreetly to her.
Her hymn is a dirge.