a bride walks down the aisle, 

staggers on one foot, 

& you can hear a poet 

stutter like her footsteps at every step.

she hides her form underneath her veil, 

wears her father's corpse on her face 

like the holy candle praying for a future.


when the piano starts to play, we can 


hear frogs croaking to an unfamiliar rhythm, from 

deep down throaty laughs of a certain someone 

or people


alongside ruptured chords.

we all stand,

 not sure what the bridegroom's lips call 

to the altar.

---

Bio:

Akubudike Deborah is a black poet and lyricist who draws her inspiration from various things including the Bible, philosophy, Greek mythology, art, etc. Her work has been featured in The Cypress Journal, The Unpublishable Zine, amongst others. She can be reached on Twitter: @akubudikedebbie; Instagram: @ad_poet and blog: https://adpoet.home.blog.