Valentines are for people
Who are insufferably romantic
Flowers
Poems
Candle-light
Soft music and wine
Are the dream-stuff
Of which their lives are made.
And why not?
Each red,
Heart-felt valentine
Is a vote
To another
Of a warmer,
Comfortably well-worn
Way of loving.
Certainly,
A valentine is an act of passion.
The pulse leaps
The eyes glisten
The tears fall
As we reach out
To touch our beloved.
Valentine-love
Is for savoring
Like the fire-light hours
Of snowy winter nights,
The coziness of down blankets,
Or the quiet of being
Together before dawn.
Valentines are for sharing.
Every child knows
How to make a valentine.
We fold our red construction paper
In half,
Perform our scissor-work
With care,
And reveal
The two-fold miracle
Of a single heart,
Which we lovingly sign
And give to another.
Valentines are for everyone
who needs love.
Therefore,
Valentines are for everyone.
For little boys
Who still hate little girls,
For grandmothers living alone
On memories,
For drunken men
Sleeping on steamy winter grates,
For all the lonely
Soulful human beings
Clutching soft pillows
In over-sized beds.
And so,
If you have not yet
Received a valentine,
This one's for you
With all my love.