A Belltane Wedding Poem by Paul Brookes

Shall we eat bitter herbs together,
let them marinade in the mouth,
sitting at the edges in light and dark
meeting at the amalgam of shadows.

twists of rosemary and aloe
ripple braids with ribbands
veils for the sacrifice, blood for the tallow,
spit out the wormwood and the rose enmeshed.

ink the skin, spearing rings into tongues
confetti shall shower the day
rice the night, a silent melding
blessed by the hanging man

staring across acres of linen ne'er entwined
still we eat bitter herbs together
but we never swallow.