Beneath the veil

On her wedding day she smiled a smile of submission
A gown fit for a princess, not her empty frame
6 months of dieting, trimming down to beauty
Is this what it takes to be yours?
On their honeymoon she slept in a separate bed
And begged for the waiters to sit and drink with her
It was not his presence that burnt like acid in her mouth
But the absence of love, of the one thing that bound them
Many moons ago she slept beside Romeo
Her prince of perfect peace holding her fragile hand
Now the only thing that graces her fingertips is a whiskey sour
Just a moment before it passes her lips
Another night in paradise, in the heart of beauty
In the very core of a loveless commitment
That she resided herself to for life
Mother always said she’d make a blushing bride
Something to make daddy proud just before he walked away
‘Lace those corsets tighter, make her into a swan’
But underneath this painted posture and faux affection
The mirror does not register this smile
Because it is not hers, it does not belong in that face
Aged, worn and sodden with bitter envy at the sight of lovers
And all she can think, like an echo of a memory
‘That should be me…that should have been me’