Last night, Rachel's review of state-level marriage equality pioneers included Bruce Hanes of the Montgomery County, Pennsylvania Registry of Wills, who issued the state's first same sex marriage licenses yesterday. If you happened to click through to some of the sources linked in Laura's write-up of the story here on the MaddowBlog yesterday, you might have seen this small detail in the report from Raging Chicken Press:
The Commonwealth’s first same-sex marriage license went to a female couple, who were in a 17 year committed relationship, living in Limerick, Pennsylvania.
Did someone say limerick?
So I mention to my next-cube-neighbor, Tricia, that I'd been mulling a good Pennsylvania marriage equality limerick since noticing that tidbit of info, and it turns out Tricia is a fan of the form. In short order, this arrives in my inbox:
Let’s say that you live in P.A.And you can’t marry ‘cause you are gay.There is one county clerkWho will not be a jerk.He’ll give you a license today.
Oh HO! Challenge accepted! My reply:
If two women in P.A. should aimTo be spouses of gender, the same,There’s a fair-minded clerkWho will sign paperworkFor the love that dare not speak its name.
Tricia:
In PA a same-gender pairThought the gay-marriage ban wasn't fair. One official agreedAnd decided that he'dGrant equality right then and there.
I managed one more:
A clerk in Montgomery P.A.Does not care if two people are gay.If in happiness' pursuitAnd there is love at the rootThen a license to marry? OK!
Tricia, unrelenting:
There once was a county clerk whoThought gay couples should get married, too.He said, "It offends my senseTo withhold a license.To grant one's the right thing to do."
Well, now what we've got on our hands here is the stuff of a real MaddowBlog Challenge!
Let's see your best same-sex marriage limerick. Tricia and I have been trying to keep to the Pennsylvania story, but if you're inspired by the broader theme of marriage equality, that's fine too.
I'll round up highlights from the comments here and on Facebook and Tumblr and Google Plus and wherever else and post them here on the blog tomorrow.