Wedding Vows

Marriage is a collusion of families
with separate histories and memories
personality quirks and traditions

where couples try to blend together
hoping that their similarities enhance
a relationship and what is different
makes them stronger.

In my family we worshiped
at a Catholic altar,
believed in education
and helping in community.

Our favorite foods had chili and beans
and favorite past-times were physical
with a quick wits and quicker critics
friends were kept from the door out.

He, on the other hand,
was a Southern Baptist
something the family did once in awhile,
needing more community support
then they gave, bordering on poverty.


Alcohol was included in every gathering,
loud and obnoxious, daring anyone
to keep them out, uneducated and unrefined
friends and family mixed like one.

He was the odd one out in his family,
so different from the others, blue eyes, 
smart, spiritual, and refined. 

I too separated from my siblings
sought more mainstream behaviors,
while they wanted to be cool,
tossing aside our traditional training.

When we met, we knew we were meant

for each other, creating our own path

a little bit of his blended with mine.