What I Never Told You About the Marriage

That at the beginning, I had no intention of lying.

That when people said it would never last,

I thought they were wrong.

That before the ceremony I doubted my feelings

but married you anyway.

That on the day of the marriage I wore white

for the part of me that wants to be pure,

a short dress for the other part.

That Elisabetta made my bouquet

with roses from the garden.

That Daria and I improvised a veil

from your daughter's first communion dress.

That I let Monica put more make-up on me

than I'll ever wear again.

That I enjoyed being driven to il Municipio

and around the piazza by Claudio

in his Mercedes convertible.

That while walking up the steps in town hall

I doubted my feelings.

That at the beginning, I had no intention of lying.

That the first time you accused me, you were

wrong. That I believed what you said

about your ex-wife, how she drank,

neglected the children, took valium.

That after I found the reports of her hospital stay,

I thought you had broken her arm.

That the first time you screamed me awake

in the middle of the night,

love diminished. That I knew

where you kept your handgun. That I hid

my passport in a safety deposit box in the bank.

That at the beginning, I had no intention of lying.

Source: Esperanza and Hope (The Sheep Meadow Press)