A Variety of Valentines

All of us losers who didn't have date for Valentine's Day moped around the community room with our "love" poems, feeling sorry for ourselves. Joke. Actually, everyone was cheery and well behaved. The gavallier was out of work.

Dan Lawlor and BBBurke were back from FL. Stacey returned with a poem. Edie is sick, Dennis still in Ireland. Beverly too tired from work travel to drag herself out. We assumed Mr. Casline and Dr. Pierce was having a romantic tryst somewhere because there was no sign of Alan. For those of you who don't know, Mimi's dad died last week. Anyway, it was a small group.

Tom wowed us with his re-arrangement of the poem he had last time into a little photograph-size book named Valentine. The format made all kinds of difference in the effect it presented. Few text changes. Great fonts. Orb Press. Be sure and get one.

The Poet's Words from Paul Amidon were in the form of a sonnet. There was some discussion about syllables, pentameter, etc. It was good rhyming, old-fashioned ring to it, as sonnets do. Stacey called it melodic and uplifting.

Stacey requested feedback of a non-academic nature. She told a dramatic story of a domestic situation in a form that Tom referred to as "flash fiction". That was an unfamiliar phrase for me and I intend to learn about it, as it apparently is something new in the writing world. The poem inspired some debate about its content (I was a little confused about who the pronouns were referring to, but I was just being dense, I guess.)

Tim took some suggestions about cutting a few words here and there from his poem which was an intimate look at gay dating. I like the way Tim lets us enter his world. This poem was quite concise and well expressed.

I love Alice and Philomena took us into Wonderland a bit, with her words about how we can or can't measure ourselves in the world. We suggested making the poem longer - I wanted flamingos to appear at the Mad Hatter's Tea Party - and to break it into stanzas. PM said it was an attempt at stream-of-conciousness.

Dan didn't rhyme! The Fragile Heart was in keeping with the love theme, but was laced with fears about the unknown future that made it a little dark.

Dark, dark, dark, I guess you could call me, too, as I presented my dead body to a regretful lover. I actually felt good after writing it. Here it is:


For My Valentine 2008

One day
these hand of mine will lie
open by my sides

pink-tipped

ringed with silver

cooling


I will linger to hear you

keening

as you wish
that you had
sought my hands

when they were warm

bv
2/08


BBBurke had us - especially Tim- in stitches over flirting with a barmaid, getting drunk and trying to crawl in the cellar window, then facing his scowling wife on Valentine's Day. Mike needs to make his own book of love poems.

Missed those you who weren't there. Hope to see you at The Perfect Blend on the 24th. Next meeting: 2/28