Megan Rilkoff
Change of Plans
A friend’s wedding was planned for the end of May.
A beautiful backyard wedding
At the end of spring.
Invitations were sent, flowers ordered.
Dress fitted, suit tailored.
They now hang in their bags in the closet.
They eloped yesterday
At a park in their neighborhood.
The officiant
The bride and groom
One friend each
And the strangers who stopped to watch,
who pointed and laughed and cried,
And took out their phones.
What was normal is now a miracle.
The newlyweds looked happy and sweet
As if it really was the best day of their lives.
Their guests, smiling and cheering,
Standing six feet apart.
Her sister, a nurse,
watched on Facebook Live,
From the sanitized hospital break room.
Mom and Dad tuned in from the couch at home,
To see their oldest daughter,
Married through the phone.
—Submitted on 04/04/2020
Megan Rilkoff is a middle school English teacher and emerging writer. After teaching in Laos and New York City, she now works in Central Pennsylvania, where she lives with her fiancé.
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