‘put on a diaphanous Ossie Clark dress and throw myself off Beachy Head’ — Pattie Boyd on her marriage’s difficulties

Marriage never held any appeal,
a momentary overwhelming of beauty,
stutter-stepping forward
into the silken fall of unknown.

I chose to remain firm-footed,
a jeans and booted plain Jane
tramping that same landscape,
coupled but truer to myself.

Separation doesn’t come any easier
without the gold band,
wanting or deserving nothing.

Alone, the dress feels hard-won,
soft wings to hold me aloft,
and the white cliffs less of a sheer drop.

Gerry Stewart

 

Listen to Gerry reading ‘The Wedding Suit’ (1:03)

 

Gerry Stewart is a poet, creative writing tutor and editor based in Finland. Her poetry collection Post-Holiday Blues was published by Flambard Press, UK. Hedgehog Poetry Press will publish her collection ‘Totems’ in 2020. Her writing blog can be found at http://thistlewren.blogspot.fi/ and @grimalkingerry on Twitter.

© 2020, text and audio