Shopping for Wedding Dresses

It rained all day today
the clouds were bloated and heavy
and the spires of the colleges
stone-cold and unmoved
poked up into the grey.

My friend stroked her bump
and laughed her way
in and out of wedding dresses
- silk, satin, Indian cotton -
until we found exactly the right one.

On the way home
we walked across the common
by the river as dusk fell
I watched swans slide
in and out of the darkness
and studied the face of every passerby
in case it was yours.