Wedding Bells
My friend got married on New Year's Eve, and I wrote a poem for her.
The love month is officially here and before the new year continues to roll, I’d like to pause and share a love poem with wedding bells in the background.
One of my dear friends, Rinabelle, got married last December 31, on New Year’s Eve. So before thinking of what to do for the midnight celebration, I had to wake up super early for the 5:30 a.m. call time at the designated hotel for the bridesmaid hair and makeup schedule.
I wasn’t complaining because I really wanted to be part of her special day. I was even so honored to be chosen as one of her bridesmaids and also the cross bearer because I hadn’t experienced being part of a wedding entourage for so long. And despite the sleepiness and tiredness that day, my heart has been filled with joy for my Kroomie who finally tied the knot with her one true love!
Rinabelle and I have known each other since 2015. We were part of a writing workshop that led us to get published in a Catholic youth devotional. Eventually we became officemates and then roommates. She was the one who coined our nickname for each other—Kroomie! Later on, even if we’re not roommates anymore, we still kept that nickname.
I’d like to honor Kroomie right now because she has been a very supportive friend in my life and in my poetry journey. She was there during the season I was healing from a breakup. When I started attending and performing in poetry events, she would be there to watch. When I self-published my book, Parts and Personifications, she was one of the first to order multiple copies. We also collaborated a lot for work matters, as she’s an amazing person in marketing, and even in our busy schedules, we still catch up from time to time.
For her wedding day, I thought of writing a poem for her. But I went there only with a draft. And so I told her that I’d give her the full version once done. Just recently, I was able to give her the final piece, and with her permission, I’m sharing it here.
This poem is for a kind of friendship that is mostly quiet but present. Not too extravagant but meaningful. I pray we all have this kind of friendship in our lives. And may we dedicate our beautiful words for their special days.
Kroomie
It was 2017 inside the blue-walled room where we read novels in paperback, practiced dance steps just for fun, ate our chicken and rice from Mini Stop, or rice from the cooker and mackerel from the can. We took selfies with food and books and even with the black pore strips on our noses that made us look like Dalmatians. It was there where we also shared stories, dreams and secrets, even shed tears for broken hearts and failed romance, hoping we heal from the wounds of our childhood, of the past. We did. We finally did. We became the women who manage adulthood in solidarity and solitude. We built success for every written piece of content, every book and magazine published and released within and outside the system. It was the last day of 2023 when you swore your fidelity with the love of your life forever and eyes couldn't stop but be brimmed with tears not because of broken hearts but because of blissful grace, assuring that you'll be in good hands— best hands with the best person because they're all from the best God. You deserve all of it so bask in it, embrace it, welcome it, love it like how you embraced, welcomed, loved all who have been part of your single years including me, whose gratitude extends even after the ceremony is over. As you move to a new season, may you find the peace and rest you dream of every day. From that blue-walled room we shared, off you go— to your magnificent marriage, to your fantastic family, to your harmonious home. Until our next selfie, Kroomie! ~ Kring Talladen
