I don’t know much about marriage
But this much I know
Ever since I jumped the broom
Three years ago
I refuse to be like a show dog
Prancing through hoops
To the rhythm of society’s ideas
Of what I can and can’t do
As a woman
And as a wife
Frankly,
It’s exhausting
Managing others’ expectations
Of how to live my life
Hold a stranger’s hand
B I G No No
Take his last name,
Be traditional
“Happily Married?”
They ask
As if they know what that means
To marriage,
I love how single women always hold the keys
I don’t know much about marriage
But this much I know
I and I alone
Define this role
As a woman
As a wife
And like the latter
I should be free
To adapt
While honoring the pact
Between my husband and I
Imagine that
Living and loving
Without a guide
Go ahead,
Throw around buzzwords
Like confetti
To make me conform
To ideas of a time
Where being property was the norm
Just another
Wife first
Woman last
Mentality
It’s laughable to me
Holding on to such thoughts in 2019
I don’t know much about marriage
But this much I know
Ever since I jumped the broom
Three years ago
I’ve learned
There’s no blueprint
No map
Nor one way
To honor the nuptials
Made on a wedding day
“To have
And to hold
For richer or poorer
Through sickness
And in health”
In 2016,
I recited nothing
About fitting a mold
What I did say
Before God,
Family
And friends
Is that I’ll love my love
To the very end
Love
Is what matters most in a marriage
If you ask me
Not traditions
Not the legal change
Of a last name
Or even
Refusing to go a day
Without wearing
My wedding ring
I don’t know much about marriage
But this much I know
