valentine’s
Roses are red, violets are blue. I ain’t ever met a girl as thick as you.
Ahh yes… my very first proposal. Hard to forget as you can imagine. I was heartbroken, having just been dumped by my highschool boyfriend, when a sweet kid proposed to me. Down on one knee, in front of the entire high school, bouquet of roses in hand, he recited his poem to me and asked me to be his Valentine.
I’ve always wanted to be someone’s crush, someone’s muse. How romantic would that be? To inspire action, feeling, creativity? I figured that this dream, and the accompanying romantic gestures, would most likely be left to others. Sudden flashes of memories creep up at my periphery though…
A bouquet of flowers and a 6ft teddy from the boy across the country, a serenade sung on the lilt of a guitar from the boy with the green eyes, a poem about my lips and eyes from the handsome traveler…
I think if you look, you’ll find that you inspire a lot of art, a lot of action… a lot of people.
Valentine’s Day
Romantic gestures have changed a bit since high school, but we continue to crave the same feeling. I have always loved Valentine’s Day. Now, if you know me, you probably know I’m not really the romantic type, but for me, Valentine’s Day has always been a day, an opportunity, to express your love for the people around you; that, I can get behind. Little Cupid tattoos, cheesy pick-up lines, chocolate kisses, heart lollipops, homemade cards; what’s not to love about love?
It seems that no one really celebrates Valentine’s Day anymore. Maybe it’s because most of my friends are single, maybe it’s the frenchness of it all, but the world seems to have adopted a wholly cynical view about Valentine’s Day. All I hear about is how incredibly lame it is to participate in a capitalist, money-making, mass produced, commercialized, out-dated ritual. The pressure to be romantic, to carry out a grand gesture, to label a relationship… It’s too much. It is such a high-stakes day. What are we? Who am I to him? How serious are we? How much do they care? Valentine’s Day has become a minefield for relationships in which few come out satisfied and unscathed.
This yearly ritual, this little mandatory performance of romance and the commercialism around it have sucked the meaning out of what was meant to be a celebration of love in all of its forms.
Verdict?
So… Is Valentine’s Day out? I suppose most think it is. However, in a world where everything is so blasé, I vote we take back Valentine’s Day and celebrate it for everything it is. From flash mobs, cheesy pick-up lines, galentine’s dinners, and proposals to homemade gifts, flowers, cute cards, and everything in between, celebrate it. Love is so much more than a romantic thing.
This Valentine’s Day, I’ll be surrounded by wine, pasta, and love; exactly how it should be.
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