You cannot see the groom
reflected in her eyes,
a cousin twice removed
neither young nor handsome
not a peasant or accountant,
never had ambitions
and doesn’t know her tongue,
not her choice
just selected
by her uncles.
She is ticket, road, his purpose,
building branches back
to a country
that she never knew.
Her veil is heavy,
she has accepted
and will not cry.
She fans herself
forgets— and smiles.
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Today Melissa hosts dVerse poetics with images where we write to a selection of paintings by Marc Chagal, my choice was the picture of the bride
May 19, 2026
Björn Rudbergs writings 
This is a very compelling read, Bjorn
Thank you
I think you channeled the personality of this bride, Björn! What a glimpse into the painting.
Thank you… I kind of imagined the old groom just out of frame
It was perfect!
Those first two lines cut to heart, Björn, and the whole poem paints a portrait and a story all at once. There’s a Russian novel in here!
This could be the beginning….
As often happens, we chose the same image, Björn, and I love where it took you in this poem. These lines made me sad: ‘Her veil is heavy,
she has accepted
and will not cry.’
Marrying an older relative is a sad destiny