Hallmark Holiday
Some chocolates in a crimson, heart-shaped box—
if ever there’s a thing that says I love you
with much less of an effort (maybe socks,
some roses or a teddy bear, what have you)
I don’t know what it is. The corner stores,
the pharmacies, the strip malls hawk those cards
in proper shades of pink. Oh, she adores,
he cherishes, they worship, “with regards,”
and on and on. Is any of it real,
or just another method of pretending,
to mask, to hide the way you really feel,
behind the ostentatious, never ending
display of fake emotions? Dwell upon it.
To say I love you, I shall write a sonnet.
A. Gee (Arthur Goikhman) is fluent in multiple languages and has recently published two poetry books Myth Takes: Rhyme and Reason in the Age of Entitlement and Sonnet Station. Originally from the Transnistria region of Moldova and the former Soviet Union, he now splits his time between New Jersey and Texas.
True love is having the proper feelings and sharing them with someone. A agree that a sonnet is a wonderful way to share love. It will far surpass some of the ways I will share in a poem I believe is scheduled for tomorrow.
thanks Roy — appreciate your comment
I like the way you’ve described the fakeness — the shallowness of these cardboard Hallmark holidays, and the trite words and phrases of the cards and effortless gifts.
thank you, Cynthia!
Good choice, writing a sonnet, A. Gee — well done!
thx much!
V-day is silly when you think about it. Its origins are dark, in fact. But it is a Hallmark holiday, a commercial holiday….producing babies around Thanksgiving!
The simplicity and humour contained in your poem conveys a heartfelt sincerity – exactly what’s required for the special day.
Thanks for the read, AG.
thank you, Paul!