The Wedding Dress Poem
I bought the dress a long time ago
When days were long and life was slow
I found it again the other day
In a box outside all hidden away
When I bought that dress
I had hopes and dreams
Of a happy life
Beside glistening streams
Of marriage
Of children
Of grand children too
Of family
Of work
And skies so blue
But over time
That dream faded away
The life I wanted
It simply never came
So as I ponder what to do
With that dress so crisp that still looks like new
I remember that young sweet hopeful girl
And my lips begin to smile with a curl
She is still right there inside of me
Longing for love that wasn’t to be
Her life didn’t turn out quite the way she had planned
But she found some other things that were even more grand
Resilience
Respect
Reward
Reminders
That life is so much more
Than what’s behind one door
A myriad of moments
A mashup of madness
A mixture of melancholy
A mending of misgiving
So whilst the life I dreamt
Never actually happened
The life I’ve lived
Has been well captained
I’ve weathered the storm
I’ve surfed the waves
I’ve drifted in silence
On calmer days
We are not promised smooth sailing
But we can master the breeze
We can rely on our friends
On those rough stormy seas
And every time we reach the shore
We can pause and reflect and hope for more
Just as that dress reminds me of what was
The person inside still fights for a bigger cause
For love in all forms
For peace in all hearts
For words of grace
And fresh new starts
Of cheerful days
Of joyous nights
Of flights of fancy
Of hidden delights
But then I realise
It’s here right now
My heart is singing
It’s very own vow
The dress can leave
And I will still be
The hopeful girl
Still filled with glee
You see I’ve opened another door
I’ve continued to explore
I can always sail
To a new shore
To see again
A new horizon
To be again
A new amazon
I was catching up with my accountability partner recently and mentioned that I still have my wedding dress (purchased in 1985) and that it is probably time for me to let it go (especially as my marriage ended in 2005). Suddenly, tears welled up in my eyes. Where were they from? I was not missing my ex-husband, so I knew that it must have been something about me, my hopes and dreams and the young girl spirit that still lives within me. I think that the young person spirit lives in all of us – and that no matter what happens, or doesn’t happen in our lives, we can always choose whether or not we will be the captain of our own ship or follow someone else’s orders for our lives. I hope this poem reminds you of what you do have, what you have responsibility for and the hope within that never leaves. With love, Sue Ellson 🙂
Photo is of a statue artist at Southbank, Melbourne Victoria Australia on 17 February 2008
#poem #poetry #sueellsonpoem #weddingdresspoem
Shared on Facebook LinkedIn Google Pinterest Twitter
See my other poems here or subscribe to the monthly email newsletter to receive links to the latest publications.