Ruby For Us

a date ringed in red
on a February calendar
fixed to an old kitchen wall
saw the only snowfall of winter
settle in hushed silence

as a Liverpool lad prepared
to wed his London lass
with a celebration for family
and friends who had travelled
from afar

who no doubt uttered a few
well chosen expletives at
uninvited white stuff and a
downslide by degrees on their
thermometers

while still enjoying
a fine three course meal at
Pangbourne’s George Hotel
with its roaring log fires
freshly pressed table linen
and roots tucked into Medieval
history

with the ghost of Betty Price
a sixteenth century witch
present in the narrow corridors
who died in the dark cellars
where she hid from her superstitious
captors

but not before she cursed
the place and the local parson
together with anyone else
who played a part in her
demise

no worries there for us
or from the detective we chatted
to as he propped the bar up
long after our guests had
departed

who delighted
on hearing of our nuptials
gleefully informed us that
our chances of happy ever afters
with our clash of personalities
was precisely zilch

well he got that one wrong
didn’t he darling

Reviews

[Coyote Poetry]

I love the wedding. I haven't been to any lately. Always a interesting conversation to be found. I liked the description of people and life dear Chris. Thank you dear friend for sharing the amazing poetry and your thoughts.
Coyote

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you Coyote. I love weddings too. Sadly there don’t seem to be that many these days. It is more funerals. Have a good Sunday my fellow poet.

Chris

[Coyote Poetry]

Me too. Too many funerals and you are welcome dear Chris.

[Neville]

gripping stuff indeed .. oh' n many belated congratulations :)

[Chris Shaw]

The history of the venue is certainly fascinating Neville and thank you for your congratulations. Forty years is quite an achievement all said and done. Not that many in our throw away society get there. Hope your Easter has been all you wanted and more.

Chris

[Jon Mahaffie]

Very charming and cheeky poem, Chris. The second to last stanza was pretty funny/meaningful to me and I'll tell you why. My wife and I had completely different upbringings, literally couldn't be any more different, and we had different personalities and socialization styles. But when we took premarital counseling with our officiant before our wedding (offered gratis, such a nice man), on our personality profile/psychological compatibility test we took, we had nearly the exact same graph of things we cared about and didn't care about, as if we were born with the same tendencies but separated through life circumstances and somehow we found each other after fighting through all of that. Anyway, just a little anecdote. I could very easily "see" what the venue looked like, even with scant visual descriptions, just because you described the vibe of it so well.

[Chris Shaw]

Really enjoyed your review Jon. Over the years we have on occasions recalled our Detective (unlucky in love he was, drowning his sorrows). Made us smile anyway. We still visit the George at Pangbourne.

[Linda Marie Van Tassell]

The best revenge is proving them wrong. I love how you unfolded the story, the history, and bringing it full circle to the present. Well done.

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you Linda. How right you are:) I appreciate you stopping by.

[Relic]

No one can predict anothers future can they. He certainly couldn't. :) Only love and work can pave the road to happiness and longevity in a marraige. Whether in castles or flats.

[Chris Shaw]

You are so right about predictions of the future Tim. Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts. Pleased you stopped by.

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[willweb]

Loved this story and the happy ending that I found lingering at the bottom with a huge smile on its face, that seemed to mirror mine. This was great story that brought together several different elements and created magical memories for the bride and groom to cherish for a very long time. Nice one Chris.

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you will. Pleased you enjoyed the read. Forty years is quite some time. Our grandchildren can’t get their heads round staying in a relationship that long:) That makes us smile.

[red93]

Really Beautiful Work Chris sharing these happy memories in all their rich and diverse detail. Excellent ✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️

[Chris Shaw]

Many thanks Tony for your continued support. Know you are truly appreciated.

[John the Baptist]

A nice offering of memoir here. Sounds like it was a splendid wedding despite Betty Price's curse. Glad to hear the knowitall detective's prediction didn't pan out. Wherever she is, I'll bet Betty is glad, too.

[Chris Shaw]

Many thanks for stopping by John. I appreciate your warm comments. Have a good Monday.

[W. Barrett Munn]

Congratulations on showing the copper who knows best. A wonderful ruby of a poem, Chris.

Winston

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you very much Winston. Ha! We have from time to time thought about the Detective who was unlucky in love. Pleased you enjoyed the read. Have a good Monday.