THE SET UP — Ethen and Kathryn, a couple I married three years ago and whose anniversary is January 3rd are in the top ten of the hundreds of weddings I have presided over. All have been wonderful but there was just something mystical about their union even though I couldn't stand because of hip trouble and had to sit on a stool. Ethan e-mailed me requesting that I do a one-liner from a photograph that my daughter Jerri took of the proceedings at Rocky Point near my home. The wedding party was just the four of us standing out on a rocky piece of land that jutted out into the Pacific. Jerri who was also the witness scampering around on the rocks taking hundreds of photos of the event, a few of which Ethan sent me.

The drawing worked out so well I needed a poem to go with it. The piece I came up with seemed just right to start the New Year off with and after all the 3rd is their 3rd wedding anniversary.


MASTER OF CEREMONIES

Ric Masten

                       
I refuse to believe in personal free choice
It feels like I have it
but when I back away from something I’ve chosen
it always turns out that the choice I made
was based upon something I didn’t choose

I arrived predetermined
gifts and talents, DNA, IQ, disposition,
all of which begat the artist
that begat the actor/playwright
that begat the troubadour
that begat the poet
that begat the minister
adding up to the master of ceremonies
I am now

I ask myself how lucky can you be?
able to make a good livelihood
by assisting in the creation
of unforgettable moments
for audience and congregation
but most of all
for the couples I have danced with
on the beaches and rocky promontories
that grace the Big Sur coast
Ethan & Kathryn
“I now pronounce you husband and wife”
and by so saying help shape the future

for someone who doesn’t believe
that my choices are free
I rejoice in the life that has chosen me

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