YOU BEGIN: A Poem by Margaret Atwood & An Original Wedding Poem

Last week, my daughter Sara sent me a picture of my first grandchild. I should note that she hasn’t been born yet. Still, It was such a great thrill for me to see my granddaughter’s face.

I’m posting one of my favorite poems today. It’s by Margaret Atwood. It was the inspiration for the wedding poem that I wrote for Sara and my son-in-law Jerry. They got married last July.

You Begin
by Margaret Atwood

You begin this way:
this is your hand,
this is your eye,
that is a fish, blue and flat
on the paper, almost
the shape of an eye.
This is your mouth, this is an O
or a moon, whichever
you like. This is yellow.


Outside the window
is the rain, green
because it is summer, and beyond that
the trees and then the world,
which is round and has only
the colors of these nine crayons.


This is the world, which is fuller
and more difficult to learn than I have said.
You are right to smudge it that way
with the red and then
the orange: the world burns.

You can read the rest of the poem here.

Here is the wedding poem that I wrote:

Wedding Poem for Sara & Jerry

(Inspired by Margaret Atwood’s poem “You Begin”)

by Mom

We begin this way:

this is my hand—

take it in yours,

hold on to it tightly.

Now we are one.

Here is my heart.

It holds rivers of love

that will flow to you freely

this day…and forever.

Outside the church window

summer awaits

with songbirds and sunlight

and shade trees to cool us

when days get too hot.

This is our world—

our family and friends

who know us and love us.

They’re smiling and happy

on our wedding day.

Now we are married…

we’re husband and wife—

we are partners for life.

We will share all our days,

all our sorrows and tears

all our laughter and triumphs

throughout the years.

This is my hand, this is my heart,

this is our world,

ahead is our future

filled with surprises

that we can’t imagine.

It all begins here

with our family and friends

with our promises…vows…

with the taking of hands

and the binding of hearts.

We begin and we end:

Here is my heart.

It holds rivers of love

that will flow to you freely.

This is my hand—

take it in yours,

hold on to it tightly

this day…and forever.

Now we are one.

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At Wild Rose Reader, I have an originalmemoir poem titled Backyard Mermaids.

The Poetry Friday Roundup is over at Book Aunt this week.