Find more celebration posts at Ruth’s blog.
I am writing in a hotel room in Mobile, Alabama. My husband and I are here for a wedding. Not one of ours, thank goodness. It’s strange to be just a visitor, someone without any responsibilities for this celebration. We just get to be here, be present to the love and happiness. Not to mention the weather is amazing. A perfect temperature with a bright blue sky.
This week I noticed the sky. On Friday while I opened car doors for children, I watched the sun rise and off to the side a wisp of cirrus clouds change color. At one time there was a small rainbow circle in the clouds.
Reading blog posts this morning, I found this one from Smack Dab in the Middle celebrating the power of simple sentence structure of Kate DiCamillo in my favorite of her books, The Miraculous Adventures of Edward Tulane. Deborah Lytton writes, “Every word has an important role to play in spare prose. If it isn’t essential, then it doesn’t belong.”
I was thinking about how my husband and I are mere observers today. This little poem came to me:
We are here.
Insignificant bystanders
walking the empty streets.
The sky is open, a fragrant blue.
I reach for your hand.
You feel my touch.
We are here.
–Margaret Simon, poem-a-day #8
Reflections on the Teche 
Your last two lines grab my heart! Nothing makes me happier than when my husband reaches over and wants to hold my hand. Enjoy the wedding and being an observer.
Lovely poem. Speaks volumes to me. Did you intend for the lines to increase and decrease in length for a shape? Just curious. Thanks for sharing Deborah Lytton’s post. I’ve been working with the power of very short sentences. It’s a craft move we note with VSS when reading as writers. Love “Edward Tulane” as a mentor text.
And that really is all that is needed, open sky, touch, here. It hard to let go of words sometimes, isn’t it? Well done, Margaret. Enjoy just being there.
Love how you are in the moment and the poem you captured. It must be fun to just be there for the celebration without any responsibilities. And that picture of the rainbow circle in the clouds is breathtaking. Isn’t it fun when our cameras capture these events? Sometimes it doesn’t work, but you caught this one! Thanks for sharing.
Beautiful poem — each word playing an important role and speaking volumes! I hope you had a great time as a wedding observer. You’ve certainly had your share of being a planning participant lately. Have a great week, Margaret!
You have captured the beauty of weddings for the “bystanders.” They are gentle reminders of the love and commitment you, have captured and retain in marriage. Enjoy the journey back home.
Wonderful…..we are here! I love that. The sky has appeared in a few poems of yours. I hope you get some more beautiful skies this week.
Margaret, I have been studying the sky lately but never saw such a beautiful sight as a rainbow in the clouds. Great photography and the poem is a wonderful match.