VALENTINE FOR THE BELOVED

 

BE MINE, SWEET VALENTINE

For Karen

Walking into Safeway head-down

over slush and snow, I stop

to pick up some litter. This

Valentine, still in a plastic

wrapper, dry and intact

from either a lover, or

would be lover, dropped

on the way to the car.

Will he, or she, have flowers,

or chocolate, perhaps

something more potent

to access spirit, appetite,

or, who knows, wakefulness

maybe, maybe mindfulness

in the beloved. Who knows?

What to do? I pocket

the Valentine, enter Safeway,

buy four strawberries

covered in dark chocolate,

each berry slushy, spoiled,

inside a tasty cover.

Love, Jim

14 February 2021