Valentine's Day Eve

This lady isn't opening a Valentine,
but wouldn't it be nice if we could
say the things in our heart, instead
of needing a card to say it for us? Let's try.

Heart-shaped candy boxes and the cards
expressing love have been in view
since Christmas. When the remnants
all get moved to clearance racks,
the leprechauns and shamrocks will appear
with overlap, perhaps, of pastel eggs
and bunnies. On the calendar and in our blood,
this need to celebrate, to gather, have a credible
excuse to call up folks to come and join us for
some special day. It makes the year pass
quickly; there is that, I guess. I dread a few
of them, the Hallmark holidays, but smile
and mostly play along. The cards
are sometimes hard to buy, their pretty lies
in fancy script inside whatever cover caught
my eye. The funny ones are kinder, even those
with just a smidge of edginess. More honest, anyway. But now and then you find one that surprises: how did the writer
know exactly what to say?



(c) Ellen Gillette, 2014