Attending The Wedding Somewhere In Mindanao Poem by RIC BASTASA

i attend a wedding today
the groom is Hungarian
the bride is Filipina, but she looks like
an apsara dancer,
with her long black hair,
thick eyebrows
and sunken
eyes

i remember Angkor Wat

as i see it, they are so in love with each other
that they only have a very small world of their own
and the only thing they know is
kiss,
kiss,
kiss, and embrace
and smile
and kiss again

i time it: 42 seconds long


as usual they have the slice of the cake
and the sharing of the wine

glasses are click again by the guests with their spoons
asking for more kisses

i finally get tired seeing them kiss
everything that is always repeated becomes

a big pester (am i envious? or
am i just bored?)


my wife is there beside me with her casual blue skirt and
flower printed blouse from Kuala lumpur

actually it is already 9 o'clock in the evening and
we are very sleepy....