Our Wedding

Yemeni mp

Ahmed Saif Hashed

They celebrated us with joy and wonder, as if we had descended from the heavens — a promise greater than prophecy, a secret vaster than the galaxies, a love larger than existence itself. It was a cascade of divine light, a fragment of the colored sun, both fire and peace, passion and forgiveness, a love that never fades or ends. We lived that miracle as we were escorted in a grand procession of joy.

In the presence of the gathered crowd, the heavy veil of shyness dissolved. Shame scattered like dust in the wind, and the chains of restraint broke apart. The eyes of women were freed from their prisons; their hearts became wings unfurled toward the horizon. The maidens released their imaginations into the vast sky, searching for the knights of their dreams.

The horses broke loose from their dark stables. Riders mounted their steeds, and the mares neighed with pride and power. The dreams of the maidens raced the wind. I heard the whisper of love, the sighs of yearning, the cooing of doves, the rippling waves of desire, the swelling ache of longing, and the clamor of life awakening from its slumber.

The fields sang for us, as did the seasons and the valleys. We rested upon hearts overflowing with warmth. Birds sang melodies that stirred every soul. Eyes turned toward us, blessing us with joy. Questions surrounded us, curiosity deepened, and wonder filled the air.

They crowned us with a great joy. We ascended the stage like radiant light. It was a night grander than any kingdom. We sat upon magnificence as one sits upon certainty, surrounded by waterfalls of longing. It was a moment we lived for the very first time. We seemed enthroned upon the majesty of a great realm. Beauty gathered before us and circled around us until we felt as though we were the center of the universe, the very heart of the galaxy.

Before me unfolded the splendor of Roman thrones and the carpets of Persia. Smiles glowed like lanterns in our sky. Eyes shimmered with countless lights. Rain fell tenderly upon the heart, the spirit, and memory. The beauty of the maidens was lavish and unrestrained, impossible to contain, impossible to gather. Who could embrace such vastness, this boundless sea of grace?

Every meadow celebrated. Our necks longed for the art of embrace, and our lips yearned for the goblets of wine aged in the cellars of long desire. Everyone danced to the rhythm of joy. Everyone sang and rejoiced with us. The sea breeze joined the music, and even existence itself seemed to breathe with us. In our wedding, all were present.

My happiness surged like the ocean tides, reaching the farthest orbits of space. The light within me widened, spreading through the vast expanse of creation. My body glowed with the warmth of joy, and my delight filled the world. My suns crowned that night, making it king over all subdued nights.

We left the hall for a chamber overlooking the sea. The waves sang to us and blessed our love. The stars revolved around us like baskets of roses, and behind them drifted the breath of spring. The night exhaled the perfume of kings, an aroma that opened within the heart the windows of youthful love and the gates of radiant joy. Flowers blessed our happiness, lilies prayed for us, scattering their fragrance upon us. Everything around us celebrated our union.

We spoke until dawn came crowned with the dews of spring. When morning broke, radiance bloomed within me. It was a cosmic morning, vast and luminous. I plucked my heart — a red rose — within whose core pulsed a living energy, ever-renewing, never fading, never growing old, filled with the scent of endless love.

I offered her my jewels, my shells and pearls, my Easts and my Wests. I pressed her wine from my own blood and gave her to drink from the springs of my soul. I lit her spirit from the gleam of my tears. I filled her cup with the shimmer of my eyes and the sparkle of my longing. Everything I possessed became a pledge of eternal love for my beloved.

I crowned her queen of my great love, a jewel of my crimson blood which I placed upon her forehead. I gave her my treasures, my crowns, and all my realms. I poured my soul into her palms, a kiss flowing like wine and rapture through her spirit and her body.

After long weariness and searching, we joined and became one. Our being was fulfilled, merged with existence itself. It was a companionship that tested our patience and endured hardship until we conquered the wagers of failure. It was a life flavored with the patience of warriors, a bond forged through the years, united in defiance of life’s trials. We were blessed with seven sons and daughters, a life that continues unendingly — joy to some, struggle to others.

Thirty years have passed since our wedding, and still its tide flows — a miracle of endurance, a giving that never tires, a will stronger than iron. Our existence triumphed over the disappointments of time. We grew accustomed to the turns of fate until we crossed into the realm of the impossible. Through patience and steadfastness, we defeated impossibility a thousand times. In the struggle for survival, in scenes of wonder and astonishment, we remained vast in our love, in our patience, in our madness, and in our forgiveness of our great human faults.

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