Draft

A draft of a poem I first made notes for in February. I'm not sure of the advantage of posting something that is probably not the finished item, but hey - it gives me something to put here besides "had tea with the Smiths" or a link to someone else's creative output. For what it's worth. And here's my KQED-type disclaimer: the views expressed by the speaker are not necessarily those of the writer.




Valentine’s Day

The first step is simple: you fold paper lengthwise.
Next, cut tedious half-hearts, ear-shaped along the edge.
Apply glue liberally. It may seep out from under
the layers of pink on white on red, or red on pink on white.
That’s alright. For easy distribution,
write no names on your valentines.

As though we could parcel out our love in equal measure,
by simple hand-delivery of the sloppy product
of an afternoon at the kitchen table.
As though you would not secretly pick
the prettiest one for the girl you love the most,
the messy one for the boy you barely knew,
the heart that turned out worst
for the child who mattered least,
at least to you.

This is the advantage to store-bought cards: they are equal
in their cookie cutter pop culture colored presentation,
indiscriminate in their insincerity. They are all the same
in ways that we are not
and could never be.