Snowy Valentine

Today is Valentine's Day. Unfortunately, it happens every year. Fortunately, it did happen twelve years ago when my husband and I got engaged, also a necessary evil.

I'll spare you the many reasons I strongly dislike Valentine's Day.

{cough} Consumerism.

I know, I can be such a pessimist. I take pleasure in being darn good at it too.

{cough} Expectations.

Ahem. Instead, on this snowy winter day, I want to tell you that once upon a time...

Ha! Sorry, I'm laughing. My husband just attempted to lick the butter out of his empty popcorn bowl. Instead he scrubbed it with his beard.

Once upon a time when I was taking a college Literature class, I wrote a paper on a poem by James Wright. Never heard of him? You should. He has some great stuff.

So this paper, the only mark my professor made on it was, "WOW!". Now that could be a good wow, or a bad wow. I will leave that to your imagination.

I will also leave you with James Wright's poem, which I think, is rather appropriate today, on Valentine's Day. Think of it as my little Valentine to you.


Small Frogs Killed on the Highway, by James Wright

Still,
I would leap too
Into the light,
If I had the chance.
It is everything, the wet green stalk of the field
On the other side of the road.
They crouch there, too, faltering in terror
And take strange wing. Many
Of the dead never moved, but many
Of the dead are alive, forever in the split second
Auto headlights more sudden
Than their drivers know.
The drivers burrow backward into dank pools
Where nothing begets
Nothing.

Across the road, tadpoles are dancing
On the quarter thumbnail
Of the moon. They can't see,
Not yet.