Sorting through things that I've kept
I found something I didn't expect
Among the various keepsakes lay
An old, faded wedding bouquet


The years flashed back through my mind
Like a tape that was set on rewind
To an incident from so long ago
When I was to marry my beau


I was not destined to be his bride
And still remember the tears that I cried
Although I waited for him until dawn
I couldn't face the fact that he'd gone


Without even a backward glance
He failed to give our love a chance
For years, I felt sorry for myself
Till I grew tired of being on the shelf


When I thought that I'd never be a wife
I met the one true love of my life
Then, my old love was no longed missed
It was like he never did exist


I cleared the cobwebs from my mind
And left that part of my life far behind
I no longer dwelled on those bygone years
And didn't want any of their souvenirs


I smiled as I looked at that arrangement
Of dead flowers that held no more sentiment
And when I discarded that forgotten bouquet
I was ready for a real wedding day


Kathleen McCoy Eldridge©
July 26, 2006
All Rights Reserved