Dear Mary

Did you dream, as a girl, of your wedding day,
Of being a beautiful bride, dressed in finery,
The townspeople gathered in celebration?

Somehow it turned out differently.

Did you imagine the birth of a baby,
The womenfolk gathered around to help,
And caring for him in a beautiful room?

Things turned out so differently.

Did you hope, as you watched your little son play
That he would fit in and be just like
all the other boys?

But he was always so different.

Did you look down the years and imagine
A fine young man with a job and a wife
and children of his own?

It all turned out so differently.

From the first
the sword pierced your heart.
You knew how to give
and how to grieve
but most of all, how to love
Dear Mary,
I think we understand each other well.


copyright Josephine Collett 1999