At Dawn I Walked the River

At dawn I walked the banks of the Milk River

Through the wild asparagus,

River swollen with spring rain

And mountain melt-off.

I wore mute despair like a cloak.

In a few hours I would be married,

Would wear the veil hiding the lie

Of vows of love, wear smiling compliance,

Pose for pictures, cut the cake.

Nobody would know my true self.

Nobody would ask, What is the matter?

It was a question a mother might ask.

Had somebody asked, I could not have said.