Miss Bee's Haven

Wedding Night
(a dream)

I see lanterns flicker upon flower-strewn cobblestones.
Dream weaver rocks me softly with lilting musical tones.
Periwinkle, lilac and lavender lull me to sleep.
Reverie comes to me whispering reflections sweet
of joyful scenes from a quaint village street.

Dream keeper paints a time abundant with grace.
A festive folktale wedding is in place.
Ribboned clad and in hand-me-down lace, a virgin bride fair
wears lemon flowers, olive leaves, and blossoms in her hair.
With a father’s tender farewell kiss, he gives her hand to her beloved.

My dream trails a wedding feast caravan adorned with turtledoves.
Young and old dance to merriment of accordions and violins.
The air is filled with chimes of the belfry carillon’s ring.
A gypsy woman of ageless beauty, lined face all knowing,
releases bevies of monarchs and nightingales singing.

Into an old wooden trunk she casts memories of this night
along with fairytale wishes to make all tomorrows bright.
A toast she raises –
“May your children and theirs be fair and strong as the willow.
May you grow old together on the same pillow.”

Copyright - Deborah - 2007

"Gypsy" - the very word conjures up romantic notions of brightly woven garments, carefree dancers swirling round a campfire to the sounds of tamborines and gypsy violins, colorful traveling wagons...images I have always been intriqued with. I have seen only three Gypsy wagons in my life. One when I was a child in West Virginia and one caravan of two several years ago in Wytheville, Virginia.



Where did these nomadic people originate?...perhaps, Romania, Poland, Persia, Spain, Yugoslavia, Germany,Russia, India or maybe Eygpt? While history is not conclusive as to their origin, tribes of gypsies, or Romanies as they would preferred to be called are found worldwide today.




Gypsy Woman - 1886
Nikolai Yaroshenko. 1846 - 1898 (Russia)


The term gypsy is a common term used to describe Romani people or Travellers. While their lifestyle and employment is said to be on the lower scale, knowns for their metalwork, ..... many have become famous authors, scientists, musicians and singers, artists, politicians, actors and actresses such as Charlie Chaplin and Michael Caine...among those, my favorite would be actor Yul Brynner.


Remember him in "The King and I"?