Outside the Vows

Cheap beer sweats cold in my hand,

plastic folding chairs folded tight.

The bride's smile cracks like thin ice,

a flicker caught in the silver knife.

I stand far enough to forget the vows,

close enough to hear hollow claps.

The cake waits with its stained edges,

a quiet witness to promises not mine.

Music dies, eyes turn sharp—

I sip slow, a stranger in the crowd,

the echo of joy not meant for me

folding under the weight of my own quiet.