Remember tonight,

for it is the beginning of always.

A promise.
Like a reward for persisting
through life so long alone.
A belief in each other
and the possibility of love.
A decision to ignore,
simply rise above the pain of the past.
A covenant, which at once binds two souls
and yet severs prior ties.
A celebration of the chance taken
and the challenge that lies ahead.
For two will always be stronger than one,
like a team braced against
the tempest civil world.
And love will always be
the guiding force in our lives.
For tonight is mere formality.
Only an announcement to the world
of feelings long held.
Promises made long ago.
In the sacred spaces of our hearts.
-Dante Alighieri