This little line
is as thrilling
as the feel of your hand
holding mine.
A sign of my changing
civil state,
this bridge connects
us across the invisible
chasm between your family
name and mine.
It proclaims
with wedding
bells ringing:
I am not alone
in this life.
We have each other
like the matched pair
of salt and pepper
shakers for the dining table
where your face
has replaced the view
from an open window.
This punctuation
is our union
on paper:
two hands welded
into a single segment
for all the world to see.
—
Genevieve Mae Aquino was born in Manila but calls Davao her home. She has a clutch of diplomas in molecular biology and genetics. She was fellow for Poetry in English at the INWW, ANWW, and IYAS Creative Writing Workshops.