you stand a chance

Prothalamion

Love will pitch a tent anywhere -
at the edge of a cliff in a hurricane wind,
on a great ocean of grass
just as the tornado approaches -
and whisper reckless promises
of permanence, sincerely meant.

Marriage vows to build a home:
walls and rooms to move between,
an attic, stairs, a few hiding places,
doors, an open window, shuttered
sometimes; now add lamps, mirrors,
a drawer that locks, a bookcase wide

enough to shelve the crowded past,
the stories yet to come. Set the cornerstone
on this wedding day - Love always
insists, it will blow over us, but storms
will come and in a house of words
you stand a chance, a fighting chance.

[Lorna Knowles Blake, in Permanent Address]