Prelude #9: On The Ring Finger of the Happy Bride’s Slender, Long Right Hand, by Maya Bernstein9/15/2024 Prelude #9: On The Ring Finger of the Happy Bride’s Slender, Long Right Hand Franziska Grunwald Salomon , Charlotte’s Mother; Berlin, 1916 Charlotte, I got married in my grandmother’s wedding dress. My mother wore it at her wedding too. Its creamy hue like spoiled milk. In our happiness we added a bustle. The rest was perfect, the dress- maker said, needed just a few new seams. I got married. My grandmother was gone, but her dress seeped into my skin, my arms became sleeves. They pressed flowers into my hands. They said it fit me like a dream. The color—enchanting, nothing spoiled. What is happiness? They stuck pins in my belly. My mother was depressed, thinking of her mother. After the German Empire registry official placed the ring on my finger, I got married in that wedding dress, cutting the same figure they did, in satin distress, singing “We twine for thee the maiden’s wreath.” I believed I would find sweet milk. It seemed like happiness. I believed I could escape. I believed I could be free. I careened towards my husband, glided down the aisle like a queen. I got married in my grandmother’s wedding dress, a creamy stain of spoiled milk, a train of unhappiness. Maya Bernstein Maya Bernstein is a recent graduate of Sarah Lawrence College's MFA program. Her writing has been published in Allium, By The Seawall, and Pensive Journal, amongst other publications, and her first collection is There Is No Place Without You (Ben Yehuda Press, 2022). Learn more about her and her work at mayabernstein.com
1 Comment
Sheila Rinde
9/17/2024 04:24:16 pm
Kol ha Kavod beautiful imagery. Thank you Blessings for a very happy healthy sweet inspired peaceful New Year to you and yours all the best Sheils
Reply
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
The Ekphrastic Review
COOKIES/PRIVACY
This site uses cookies to deliver your best navigation experience this time and next. Continuing here means you consent to cookies. Thank you. Join us on Facebook:
October 2024
|