Art of Poetry’s Melissa Hager reads her poem at the December 3, 2016 event at Hickory Museum of Art. Photo courtesy of Roger and Ginny Sanford. 

Melissa Hager
MARRIAGE IS A BRIDGE
after “Bridge to Understanding” by Pat Viles

From the moment “I do” is said
a bridge is built connecting
two for the long haul.
There are times when one side
or the other will not wish to couple,

but it is always there, that bridge –
erected in finery, surrounded
by friends and family who heard
the vows, watched construction
span across emptiness.

Left of the bridge is not weighted
more than the right; the structure
eases consensus. The other side
possesses something needed
or a bridge would never have been built.