I just think we should stop complaining about it, and enjoy it for the candy and laugh at the mushy-cuteness of some people. Valentine's Day isn't meant to make singles feel inadequate, but give couples a chance to express themselves to one another. It's not all about us woeful, lonely people. And with so many girls saying they don't need guys nowadays, why should Valentine's Day bother them? They don't need it, right?
Just something to think about.
And now, in honour of this day, a poem:
The
Path to Hello
He sees
her walking down the hall
He knows
her face but not her name
She has a
nice smile
Sparkling
eyes
And his
heart tries to claw out from inside
She has a
loud laugh; he can hear it from here
She's
sitting on the far side of the cafeteria
His
friends are saying something
Probably
not that important
Dimly he
hears chairs scrape back
All he
knows is the echo of her laugh
When he
returns to himself
His
friends have left.
“You
should talk to her,” they say.
He won't.
He's
scrawny and artsy, not really her type
It's a
risk he won't take
A cliff
he won't leap from
A race he
won't run
“Just
say hello,” his sister says
When she
finds out his secret
As all
sisters do, with their spying ways
She's
exasperated, they all are
But they
don't understand
That he
fears himself
That he's
afraid
He's just
not good enough
And when
he says, “Hello”
Her
sparkling eyes will dim
And
she'll look at him like
He's as
stupid as he feels
She
sees him looking at her
Now
and then
She
looks away because she can't
Understand
They're
from two different sides
Two
different lives
She
loves sports and the world outdoors
He's
one of those film-nerd guys
But he
opens doors for girls
And is
quiet and polite
The
sort of guy her mother would like
For
her to bring home
When
she glances back over her shoulder
He's
gone.
Her
friend says a joke
She
laughs really loud
To see
if he'll look
But it
comes out like a crow's raucous croak
And
she wonders how any boy could like a girl
Who
sounds like she's perpetually choking
But
she still sees him in the halls
They
exchange nods and smiles
Sometimes
his gaze is really intense
Or is
she just making it up?
After
all, he doesn't say a word to her
So
maybe she's full of herself
But
she likes the idea of him liking her
So
maybe....she should just say hello?
No.
No.
No.
Don't
be stupid.
How
absurd!
She's
a jock, he's a nerd!
He'd
probably look at her really strange
Then
ask, what's her name again?
She
has nothing to gain
(except
him)
And
everything to lose
(her
pride)
Fear
is so powerful here
And where fear is thick, I AM
I know the foolish pride of young hearts
Of chess pieces who refuse to play
Their part
So I must step in and change their course
To put them back on My Path
I make worlds and bring them together
I've made scales and stones and feathers
I'm not afraid of social standards
The world and everything in it
The first love story
--the one I orchestrated--
started with
“Hello”
Crap! He's late for class!
Shoot! She slept in!
He speed-walks down the hall
She runs.
This is no fun at all
She trips
Falls
Spills everything—coffee, books, papers
Splash, flutter, ugh
And here we go
He sees, slows
Stops.
Keep going.
No.
He kneels, gathers, looks up
He's here.
Don't say anything.
Shut up! She tells that silly voice
She smiles at him, feels a blush
Spread over her face
The red in her cheeks opens his mouth
Stripped are the labels
“Nerd” and “jock”
Like it was at the start
“Guy” and “girl”
The word pulses across his tongue
For a moment he clamps his mouth shut
It's a risk--
He says nothing
She panics
She smiles again
What else can she do?
She smiled! She smiled again!
Risk
c
r
u
m
b
l
e
s
like Jericho,
s
h
r
e
d
s
like paper
Fear un-becomes itself
The word breezes out
Like it did in that garden so long ago
Suspended in time, that word
Full of beauty and glory
Splendour and hope
The weight of the past
The eye of the future
“Hello”
Works every time
*******
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY! :D Enjoy some chocolate!
I loved your poem! I really enjoyed the story you told, so compelling in just a few lines. So adorable and sweet and a little sad, but hopeful!
ReplyDeleteRohan and I don't actually celebrate Valentine's . . . He says, "Martyrdom isn't romantic." LOL! So we celebrate February 17th, which is the anniversary of the day we two noticed each other at fencing class . . .
So, instead of a day of romance, Valentine's is a day when I make extra loving wishes to friends and family! Therefore I wish you a happy Valentine's, and thank you for sharing your poem!
Thank you! I originally wrote it to submit to my school's creative arts magazine, only to learn later it didn't *quite* fit the theme. But it fits well with Valentine's Day! :D
ReplyDeleteAnd that is so cute! Valentine's Day definitely isn't for everyone, but I absolutely love how you two have your own tradition!
I hope you have a happy Valentine's day as well, and thanks for commenting! :)
The real day to celebrate is Feb. 15--when all the chocolate is half price. ;)
ReplyDeleteThat is a beautiful poem. It made my day.