A Goan Wedding Poem by Bernedita Rosinha Pinto

Beauty, grace, ethnicity displayed
as together they sway and dance
to the music so traditional;
Invitees sharing pleasant talks,
enhancing social unity;
joy escalates as celebrations begin…..
toast get raised, three-tier cake get slashed,
the bride and groom keep smiling
though tired yet happy,
as the love song plays
they glide through their first steps
of ballroom dancing together;
she in a long white dress
he in a brand-new suit,
both not understanding
that their freedom stands cancelled
from the moment they promise
to be man and wife…
as tomorrows will unfurl before them
the thrills of motherhood and fatherhood;
along with their passion will spark sighs of relief
when every episode of life will unfold surprises
and reveal new responsibilities;
sweet nothings will vanish into petty quarrels,
financial difficulties will spark anguish,
but life and love will move on
as they will never let go
the chains of their bonding.
In a goan wedding
commitments last forever
in sickness and in health
in joys or in sorrow
in little or in lot…
never will they opt to part ways
however rough and tough the going may get;
no one ever stops to adhere to
the sacrament of matrimony till the very end;
and as many have married and gone
the new ones follow the trend
though they have witnessed the grind
of bouncy rides and disappointing times
of friends and kin around the block;
yet young couples keep walking
the aisle of the church to get to the altar
to take their vows to cherish and honor
as invitees witness the gaiety,
the pomp and splendor of the wedding day
as they regale for those few hours in a wedding hall
and as the young couple dance with grace
so do the guests make merry
knowing they have abided
by the same pyramid of marriage
that starts up gloriously
and tapers down slowly, sullenly
as love fills in all those gaps and steps of life.