Ishanee Chanda

An Abcedarian Approach to Our Wedding 

A shit ton of flowers. Marigolds, hydrangeas, 
Bunches of baby’s breath nestled into our bouquets. 
Carved initials into every tree in the garden and 
Double the rum in every drink. In the 
Evening, the glow lights will come on and 
Forty peacocks will roam across the venue. 
Gargantuan, gigantic, with feathers as long as their necks. 
Having doubts, sweetheart? 
I promise you, it will be big and small, like you and me. 
Just trust me – the day will be quick, and you may want to 
Kill yourself when you see the guest list but  
Love like this requires an audience.  
Marrying you will be the event of my lifetime. 
Nosing the side of your cheek will be my magnum 
Opus. Our first dance will be a whole event, but we will 
Practice diligently. And when the room falls 
Quiet, I promise to tap the music softly into your skin. 
Roses will be littered across the floor. 
Smoke will step softly like children across our  
Toes. And the cake, how could I forget? 
Understated, a light lemon meringue with 
Vieux carré frosting. Two figurines of you and me. 
What a night, my darling girl, my darling wife. At the end of it, 
X-ray my heart. It will be beating in rhythm, three loops and then your name. 
Zipping, zooming, zagging you and me into forever and a day. 

Ishanee Chanda is the author or two books of poetry: Oh, these walls, they crumble and The Overflow. And her work appears in the Eckleberg Project, Stoked Words: A Queer Anthology, Z Publishing House’s Emerging Texas Writers, Flypaper Magazine, and Apricity Press.