Nine

I remember well that maiden trail

The swish of silk and organ’s wail

Echoes of ancient vows to bind

A past and name to remain behind

One man to marry, I had thought

To ever hold; forever caught

Yet Time’s shadows rose to show

Another man I did not know

Nine times his portrait drawn anew

Each stroke in deeper, richer hues

A test for me in each year’s wake

To learn the man I swore to take

Too much, you say, of love is asked

To watch and wait while change unmasked

But trial it could never be

For he has loved the nine of me

Photo by Brittany Neale on Unsplash

Words copyright 2018 by Natashya K Newman. All rights belong to the author and material may not be copied without the author’s express permission.

Cover Photo by Debby Hudson on Unsplash