Instead of a mosque or family home
in Gaza City,
they married in a tent
in Rafah,
one bride and groom
among a million displaced persons.
Instead of a multitude
of friends and family,
a handful of relatives
escorted them through dirt and sand,
around makeshift shelters,
tethered goats,
barefoot children,
mud stoves.
Instead of a shirt and tie,
the groom wore jeans and a hooded jacket,
the zipper halfway down
revealing a black T-shirt beneath.
But the bride wore a veil and white dress,
embroidered with crimson flowers and vines
that formed red bands around her arms and waist,
long stripes down the front and back.
Instead of a wedding feast,
snacks in plastic packaging
were provided,
along with music
from a portable player,
rather than live instrumentation.
But there was clapping and celebration,
even as people around them
hung laundry and looked for food,
and a small group of children
joined hands and danced in the sunset,
silhouetted against the border fence
topped with barbed wire.
Inspired by news story on reuters.com, January 19, 2024
