Featured Poem: Ballad of a Modern Day Bride

"Ballad of a Modern Day Bride" is a powerful poem which shows a different side of the wedding day bliss everyone experiences. In this week'sFeatured Poem, we take a closer look at this amazing work!

How would you summarize "Ballad of a Modern Day Bride"?

It is simply a criticism of today’s wedding trends. With the growing popularity of image-sharing sites like Pinterest, young women are finding it easier and easier to shove the artificial adorableness of their weddings down society’s throats. The message I am trying to convey is that people should spend less time glorifying the wedding and more time celebrating the marriage.

How did you choose the title for it?

The poem is written from the perspective of a new-age bride, so the title was easy-cheesy. I originally called it “Ballad of the Modern Day Bride” but decided to change “the” to “a”, so as not to imply that all new brides are like the one described in the poem.

What inspired you to write this poem?

I started my high school’s fine arts blog and wanted something short, fresh, and appropriate to submit as my entry. My inspiration actually came from procrastination: I was scrolling through Facebook and saw a few “pins” my eighteen-year-old friend had posted from Pinterest into an album entitled “Future Wedding”. I looked through the images and noted the same Disney Princess-inspired hairstyles, Smurfette-sized party favors, and painfully cheerful bridesmaid poses that I have seen in actual wedding albums from my Facebook friends. That is when I decided to write a poem criticizing the recurring elements of modern ceremonies.

What was your favorite thing about writing "Ballad of a Modern Day Bride"?

I liked how easily this one flew from my brain to my fingertips. Usually poems are a daunting task for me, often taking up the entire night and maybe some of the next morning. But “Ballad of a Modern Day Bride” was a cinch because I have seen it all. We cannot run away from the picturesque beach wedding or the Vegas-cocktail-gown-romp. All I had to do was put the ingredients in the blender and hope that what came out was edible.

When writing, do you have any rituals you follow?

I follow all the wrong rituals. When it comes to poetry, I like to start with a rhyme scheme and a message. If I am having difficulty, I will often sum up what I want each stanza to say. I isolate each stanza, even on a separate word document, and spend up to twenty minutes pasting together different ideas till I find a combination that pleases me. I then mash all the stanzas together and check for any issues with flow. Then I delete half of it and try again. Oh well. Mibba is really helping me improve though!:)

Is there anything you would like to say to anyone who reads your poem?

In writing “Ballad of a Modern Day Bride”, I did not mean to offend anyone. It is a criticism and I am sure several readers will catch hints of themselves in the poem. But its purpose is to point out an issue and hopefully illustrate that the quality of the marriage is more important than the wedding expenses. A tiny backyard or church wedding can be just as aww-worthy as a ceremony in a gothic castle with Elton John singing on a tightrope. All that matters is that the bride and groom truly love each other.

Do you have any other poems that you think people would enjoy?

Sure! I am very new to Mibba (I have not even been active for a week) but I am writing and updating daily. I posted a poem entitled “Nicole” a couple days ago. It is a very sad but true story about a good friend of mine. I plan to extend this into a series of odes to my friends, since we will be going our separate ways soon, thanks to the big elephant in the room named College. I will also be posting other originals, so keep an eye out! I appreciate any feedback and will be glad to return the favor!:)

Special thanks to dougie poynter; and Fandango for editing!