You are not, Maiden,
crafted from royal bloodlines,
Nor are thy lineages
flush with nobility and crest,
Of handpicked suitors
and fiancées,
Of those bred with
destiny and honor.
You have been founded,
Maiden, on purer privilege,
Blessed in the lay of
the earthen land,
Whose roots in the
world’s hearth
Found a home from thy
initial breath.
Thy fashionings,
Maiden, are not ore-laden,
Nor silk-woven or laced
at the edge,
For no great wealth
backs the homestead,
Thy family fears no
robbery.
This humble dowry,
Maiden, for thy day of joy
Grew out of daily
industry so sunned,
Earned under the same
light
That gives and pushes
forward the ages.
As for you, Maiden, the
house that holds
Thy entire radiant,
beautiful whole
Finds a modest piece of
the favor
Given to that Bethlehem
stable.
No broken loaves or
finest wines, Maiden,
Are to be found in thy
communion,
Yet the entirety of
gifted Creation
Breathes doxology and
instructs you to awe.
Thy wit and whim,
Maiden, examine
For truth and authenticity,
And put to shame the feint,
The show of learned
graces.
In all fairness,
Maiden, you come, bringing
Forth admiration and upright
praise,
And thou aim neither to
ruin a man
Nor let thyself be
quelled or entrapped.
Maiden, nature bestowed
her highest goodwill
Upon thy spirit-filled
figure,
Never has our Lord
brought forth
Such lovely, flawless
imperfection.
Thy lips, Maiden, prove
thy splendor in silence,
Pairing with thy prose
that often emerges,
Spurning the painted womenfolk
With beauty that fades
only as the stars visit.
Within thy breast,
Maiden, surges thy ardent heart,
Bringing life and
passion to a form
That stands, judged to
be as skilled
As it is lithe and captivating.
In all respect, Maiden,
I shall never be rid
Of the debt owed to thy
mercies,
For a lifetime will we
soon be united,
And thy love unites you
to a broken poet.
Now, Maiden, as history
will try to measure in vain,
And as loved, feared
lords wax and wane,
Its esteemed scribes may
not ever record true,
For I know the Lord
truly finds pride in having created you.
