Dear Erika and Juan,
A poem, on your wedding day, to feed the flames of your life-long love:

I wish you much health,
of mind and body, of heart and soul,
clear skies, ripe fruit and straight roads
in fact, one straight road,

Very straight and very wide, with many
rest stops along the way for when you should
need them, with pleasant scenery trees and
cows to be gazed upon from this road.

Whether you choose to travel by car or foot
or, more romantically, by horse and carriage,
may this road be free of speed traps,
may you get no tickets on this road.

May this road be straight but only insofar as
it is not boring, for when you are bored,
may this road veer, this way and that, gently
or, if you prefer, with sharp, exciting turns
so that you are forced to hang on, with all
your might, to the steering wheel or the reigns
or simply to walk with more care.

May the sun that beats down on the road provide
you with adequate warmth and light, and never
scorch your skin but rather give you, Juan,
a light tan, to accentuate your olive skin and you, Erika,
may you always find the sunscreen
of your choice at one of the many rest stops.

May the elks that cross this road
cross at a safe distance so that
you may admire them but not
endanger their, nor your own, lives.

May the passengers who travel along your road
be agreeable, may you want them there and
may this road lead to where you want to go:
a grassy meadow, a deserted beach, a field of unicorns,

Or just a little country farmhouse where
you can sit by the fire in the living room
and, on sunny mornings, look out the window
at the road that stops at your front door.

Many happy wishes on your journey,

~Pablo Garcia

Marty Bachman has a masters degree in Behavioral Psycology from McGill University.