CHARMSPEAK

It was the night before the wedding,
I sat still by the rocking chair out in the chilly evening
My mind took a quick stroll,
All the moments that led to this came back in a spurt,
The day we met by the subway,
The first kiss on the balcony
as a stream of traffic went on below,
I was too excited yet utterly terrified,
The disgruntlement unsettling,

I peered through the glass window,
My mum and aunts were making a fuss,
Moving about like a swarm of bees,

I took a sniff, the air was filled with the smell of
Exotic spices; cinnamon, coriander,
Tarab in the background, floating smoothly like
Honey, sweet to the taste,

Before long, before I snapped out of
My self inflicted trance, the day was upon me,
Seeing him stand, waiting at the altar
Reminded me why I was doing this,
It was simply out of pure love and yearn
To be by his side till the end of times,

Dad held me close as we made our way,
The wedding bells jingling all the way,
I could feel my dad tremble, in that whole
bulk of a man I felt a shudder,
Trembling from the biting anxiety,
Trembling at the fact that I wasn’t his little
Girl anymore, except a woman he was
Walking to a man he knew so little about,
A man he trusted will live up to his care,
Maybe even past, he hoped, one can’t solely
Be too certain but optimistic,

He smiled when he saw me draw near,
My legs turned to butter, wobbling out of the radiance of
His smile, his irresistible charm,
My heart ran faster than a racing car,
I heaved a sigh, breaking the tension inside,
I approached the altar, a thrill building up,
I felt like running to his arms, I felt like
Shouting out loud, God, I fought to keep
My composure!

Muzamir