Marrying left your maiden name disused.
Its five light sounds no longer mean your face,
Your voice, and all your variants of grace;
For since you were so thankfully
By law with someone else, you cannot
Semantically the same as that young beauty:
It was of her that these two words were used.
Now it's a phrase applicable to no one,
Lying just where you left it,scattered
Old lists, old programmes, a school prize or
Packets of letters tied with tartan ribbon -Then is it scentless, weightless, strengthless,
Untruthful?
Try whispering it slowly.
No, it means you.
Or, since you're past and gone,
It means what we feel now about you then:
How beautiful you were, and near, and young,
So vivid, you might still be there
Those first few days, unfingermarked again.
So your old name shelters our faithfulness,
Instead of losing shape and meaning
With your depreciating luggage laden.
