Graveyard Dirt: Two Worlds and In-between

Confirmation Gloves

Italics and I get married every year. (And when I mean "MARRIED" I mean "NO, I DON'T MEAN RENEWING PREVIOUS WEDDING VOWS MADE SEVEN YEARS EARLIER, I MEAN WE GET //MARRIED, MARRIED// EVERY YEAR LIKE IT'S NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE." <- I'll explain later, but the short of it? ANCIENT PAGAN FERTILITY RITES, BAY-BEE!)

(That's RIGHT! All you northern hemisphere folk can thank us for Spring and Summer, which surely - SURELY! - wouldn't and couldn't happen if we didn't perform the annual pageant.)

Maybe some frugal witches - ARE YOU OUT THERE, FRUGAL WITCHES? DO YOU EVEN EXIST? ARE YOU JUST A FIGMENT OF THE IMAGINATION? ("FRUGAL WITCHES" SOUNDS TOO LLEWELLYN TO NOT EXIST!) - find joy in dusting off old ritual clothes to be used again, but me? I AM NOT ONE OF THOSE POSSIBLY NON-EXISTENT FRUGAL WITCHES AND I REFUSE TO PRETEND OTHERWISE.

(I vowed, early on with Graveyard Dirt, that I wouldn't PRETEND, LIE, EXAGGERATE or INVENT any of the experiences recorded here because it'd go against the spirit of intent. Hence the lyric "and s/he who tells a bigger tale would have to tell a lie" from Peter, Paul and Mary's Autumn to May.)

(PRETENDING THAT I AM NOT THE MATERIALISTIC "BRING ME GOLD, BRING ME FRANKINCENSE AND SPICES, BRING ME BEAUTIFUL THINGS THAT GLITTER AND SHINE!" WITCH THAT I AM WOULD BE TOTALLY DISINGENUOUS; I'M ONLY BEING COMPLETELY HONEST WITH YOU HERE SO YOU KNOW I'M LIVING UP TO MY SWORN PROMISE OF ABSOLUTELY 100% NON-FICTION CONTENT.)

But, really, you can't expect a virginal, first time bride-to-be to NOT want something totally unique intended to commemorate the special occasion, right? (RIGHT.) And that's why, every year, once the snowdrops begin popping up in the dirtyard I know it's time to find that gift - that special little gift or two from the to-be-groom to his to-be-bride so when he sees her, for the first time during the rite, she's wearing a token of his love - so there's a representation of newness in the union between the flesh and the divine.

(IT SOUNDED LIKE A GOOD EXCUSE TO GET SOMETHING SUPER SPECIAL AROUND SPRING ONCE A YEAR, OKAY? ISN'T THAT PART OF GETTING THINGS YOU WANT? DRAWING UP EXCELLENT ARGUMENTS AS TO WHY YOU NEED - NAY, DESERVE! - SOMETHING A LITTLE MAGIC AND SPECIAL? WITCHCRAFT 101.)

Last year I wore full-length gunmetal opera gloves with my lapis intaglio rings over the gloves (a bull on one hand and a scorpion on the other), so when the lapis and silver and gray material were stripped away all that was left was my naked skin and one simple, understated wedding band.

This year I wanted a more innocent feel (last year I wore seven layers of clothing and jewelry, all seven eventually removed off by my new husband so that by the end of the rite the only thing I was left wearing was my "new" wedding ring) so I've been thumbing through EBay in the hopes of finding some sort of communion or confirmation article that'd fit the bill.

About a month back we thought we found it:

Click thumbnail for larger image.

Click thumbnail for larger image.

SOME OF YOU, NO DOUBT, HAVE ALREADY PICKED UP ON THE V. SUBTLE CONTEXT CLUE DUE TO MY USE OF THE WORD "THOUGHT". AS IN, THERE WAS A SLIGHT CONTRADICTION FROM THE ORIGINAL ASSUMPTION MADE. THE SLIGHT CONTRADICTION, IN THIS CASE, IS THAT DESPITE MEASURING MY GODDAMN HANDS AND FEELING CONFIDENT THESE FUCKERS WOULD FIT I ONLY MANAGED TO PULL THEM OVER FOUR FINGERS.

The "AWWW - FUCKSHITGODDAMN - SHUCKS" sentiment was shared by both Italics and I. So these exquisite, crocheted beauties handmade by a French nun will just have to reside in the Black Rabbit Box until that very special little girl comes into our lives. (UNLESS, OF COURSE, I DECIDE TO TAKE A SLEDGEHAMMER TO MY HANDS ALA LOTUS FEET.)