Valentine's Poetry Competition 2023
Check out some of our entries for 2023!
Our Winner for 2023 is...
Jessica Crumpton
Silver Birch
The tiny silver birch tree planted
for our silver wedding day
was a wish our children granted
not to have cut flower bouquets.
The silver papery bark
The trunk now tall and strong
Loves indelible mark
even though you are dead and gone.
We watched the Longtails flock
hanging like Christmas baubles
and the Angle Shaded moths
and Greenfinch having quarrels.
Each season our tree brought more to enjoy
the Greater spotted woodpecker
that looked us in the eye
And once siskins for good measure.
Snow drops grow now around its roots
And wide branches protect them
bringing hope in small green shoots
Happy Valentine’s day in heaven.
Our entries for 2023 are...
The sea
Anna Banasiak
Our love is infinite
Your voice
echoes eternity
The sounds of the sea
absorbs moments
Ships sail lazily
Fluttering waves
fill me with desire
I see You,
as in my dream
Stay with me
forever
---
If I Were A Tree...
Sarah Mills
If I were a tree you’d be the sunrise
Helping me to photosynthesise.
Our love would definitely be one to last,
Soaked up by every chloroplast.
I’d grow so tall I’d dwarf the oak
And probably succumb to serious heatstroke
But our seedlings would be ever so cute
Running around barefoot and bareroot.
Life would surely be happy and sweet
Until a garden centre turned me into a seat.
Life would then be pretty rotten,
Sat on by every passing bottom
Pining for the time I was a tree
When the world was a lot smaller than me.
---
Jill Carpenter
Tree To My door
Wonderful Gifts Galore
Lemon trees , Yellow
and Olive trees Green
Weeping Cherry, Pink
Or a Maple Tree, Red
An African Milk Tree
Or a Willow Wand Gift
A Berry Box with Raspberry & Blackberry too
Or a Dwarf Cherry Tree perhaps Apple or Pear
I wonder what My True Love
Will be sending to Me
No matter what they send me
Gold, Orange, Pink,
Red, Silver or White
From Tree to My Door
It is sure to Delight.
---
Sonia Sadoudi
The gift of green
Like the gift of you
Is the bloomcore
Of love's sweet dew
---
Alice Jevons
Love is in the air
You make me feel likes a billionaire
I will buy you flowers ,I would bring you joy and will try to never annoy .
like the stars in the sky , we would shine so bright. You are my kryptonite.
You are so worth the fight my beautiful bright light .
---
Glynis Boyne
My heart is filled with passion
It fill me through & through
I cannot eat , I cannot sleep
And all because of you
Oh ease this aching heart of mine
And say you’ll be my Valentine 💘
---
Andrew Rose
If I thought for just one moment that this would be my last breath,
I'd tell you I'll love you forever, even beyond death.
If I thought for just one moment that your face would be the last I'd see,
I'd take a million pictures and save them just for me.
If I thought for just one moment that your voice would be the last I'd hear,
I'd listen attentively and promise not to shed a tear.
If I thought for just one moment that your touch would be the last I'd feel,
I'd embrace you and know that this has all been real.
If I thought for just one moment that my heart would beat its last beat,
I'd thank the Lord for allowing us to meet
---
Kaye
Be still my beating heart ,they say
but that would mean im dead .
still love you in a million ways , still not quite right in the head
---
Clare Sykes
Roots deep, leaves high,
You bring so much life,
To my world so dry,
With your beauty and might.
You sway with the breeze,
And bloom with delight,
A symbol of peace,
In the day and the night.
You are my dear friends,
With whom I can confide,
My heart finds its ends,
In your beauty and pride.
So on this Valentine's day,
I want to say to thee,
Thank you for being here to stay, my lovely plants, you mean the world to me.
---
Jessica Crumpton
Silver Birch
The tiny silver birch tree planted
for our silver wedding day
was a wish our children granted
not to have cut flower bouquets.
The silver papery bark
The trunk now tall and strong
Loves indelible mark
even though you are dead and gone.
We watched the Longtails flock
hanging like Christmas baubles
and the Angle Shaded moths
and Greenfinch having quarrels.
Each season our tree brought more to enjoy
the Greater spotted woodpecker
that looked us in the eye
And once siskins for good measure.
Snow drops grow now around its roots
And wide branches protect them
bringing hope in small green shoots
Happy Valentine’s day in heaven.
---
Hilary Evans
The Wisdom of Trees
Branches brush their velvety, mossy fingers
evoking a rhythm of the beat of nature's heart,
a breeze blows and a gentler pace breathes.
A storm grows and they scratch and drum,
with fearful passions striving forward to peace.
They chant the songs of the seasons, and
break out new living leaves, that birth in
bright greens, falling to die in gold and yellow,
delighting the eyes of those who look, and
filling the ready minds with the knowledge
of their own destination with the deep peace
of knowing, that we share a soul cycle of
life that begets life; where the sensible stop.
to
listen to the centuries of wisdom gathered
in their roots, where gentle voices are always
speaking, in low murmurs that only those
listening may hear above the susurrous
of daily living; crowding out cluttered minds.
---
Sonnet of Euphemism
Mohan Rangam
Obscured Cupid as a brimming stream
To drench when thou hath bathe
Transformed he as a bracelet
And hath entwined ye abdomen
Disguised as maid in thy harem
To admire your ravishing beauty
Art thou giveth aroma to flowers?
For sure! when thou smile, feel I.
Chisels he, insanely thy name
On his love-s*aft
Beneath the Sea, scribes he bewitching songs
That testaments his lunatic love on you
Why thou maketh virile men fanatic?
Cupid! Ensconse her from this tranquil earth.
---
A Question of Love
Anne Palmer
'Will you marry me?' she asked,
her eyes filled with adoration.
He was caught unawares
by the boldness of her question.
'But I'm fifty years old
and you're a woman of twenty.
Is it my money you want?
I admit there's plenty!'
She gazed up at him with affection,
like a puppy in awe of her master.
'I don't care about your money,
it's you I'm after!'
He took her in his arms,
she had awoken his sleeping heart.
'If what you say is true,
then we should never be apart.'
'I love you,' she whispered.
'Don't you ever doubt me.
I'll never be unkind,
just you wait and see.'
Even then he felt unsure,
but decided not to worry unduly,
for he fancied she'd have no objection
to starting the honeymoon prematurely!
---
Rachel Burdett
We inherited a garden.
It was very overgrown
in that magic way that gardens are
when they’ve been left alone.
We ventured in with secateurs,
with spades and muddy boots,
to investigate our treasure trove
of roots and fruits and shoots.
We found hellebores and hedgehogs,
fritillaries and frogs.
There were butterflies on buddleias
and beetles under logs.
Then we started dreaming,
of how to make it ‘ours’.
We nurtured seeds, created beds,
and filled them up with flowers.
We planted veggies, watched them grow,
beneath the apple trees.
We hung up feeders for the birds,
invited all the bees.
Sometimes we got discouraged
by the heat or frost or rain,
by the times we simply got it wrong
and had to start again.
But we persevered, side by side,
the two of us together.
I love this garden that we’ve grown
and I’ll love you, forever.
---
Love of my life
Lungelo Ntuli
The joyness of my strive
Blessed with you dead or alive
An Angel that has fallen from the sky
Truly there's no reason for me to cry
You say you are mentally talented
I say you need to be fully apprehended
You leave a mark wherever you go
You make everything around me glow
I'm in love with you no matter what
I know the feeling i can feel it in my gut
My treasure ,my desire my dreamaker
My pleasure,my attire my icebreaker
I hope this feeling never ends
Come rain ,come storm you'll always be in my heart
---
Neil Gauld
If you were a tree,
What would you be?
One that looks fine
Like you, my valentine.
Are you a Palm?
You look so calm
this early morning,
when the sun is just dawning.
With friends on the beach,
you surely can teach
how to weather a storm,
it's perfectly norm.
Like wedded life,
you deal with the strife
my beautiful darling,
my wonderful wife
---
Unfunny Valentine
Allen Ashley
You're not my funny Valentine.
I'm not smiling with my heart -
it's hard enough to keep the bloody
thing pumping the rest of the time
without performing expressionist tricks.
I don't laugh at your looks but I won't
linger on your photograph, either.
You're not my favourite work
of art. That's The Scapegoat
by William Holman Hunt but
that's "a whole nother story" as people
say these days.
And not at all romantic.
P.S. Don't keep changing your
hair. All those products will
eventually make it fall out and
you'll be bald on top like I am.
We'll clack together like two
snooker balls. Sweet.
---
Anna Okereafor
Knock, knock
Who's there??
Is me Valenty
Valenty who??
Valentine be my Valentine ❤️🥰
---
Peter Smith
Scarlet bow and royal gold lid
cartwheel in the wind, tossed
by her clutching, lusting fingers
coveting a catch of cocoa kisses
Puckering cherry lips blossom
and she coos in pleasure, ooh
with a ruby heart oozing desire
she melts inside cupid’s coffer
Struck by his arrow she quivers
and charms from bouquet cups
caramels, cordials, creams and
truffles laid in a nest of dreams
Mint upon mayans, maples too
lolling on the seas of her mouth
devoured in her tongue’s caress
tawny cream laves her silky lips
While by the fire her lover glows
in passion’s flame a ready desire
cupid’s zephyr sweetly blows
to fan her raging heart’s delight
---
Daffodils
Ben Parker
She likes daffodils
They're beautiful; they're cheap.
She deserves roses but wouldn't ask.
She likes daffodils. A pound for a bunch.
Tomorrow I'll buy her roses.
Cold nights and storage heaters,
A balance of sixty pence.
Nothing spent but the dignity
To leave her daffodils weeping
Upon the shop counter.
Daisies, she likes daises.
They're elegant; they're free.
She deserves daffodils but wouldn't ask.
She likes daisies. I'll get a handful.
Tomorrow I'll buy her roses.
---
Sandra Clarke
Love is in the air.....
My heart flutters when you're there.
On the day we met I knew
I was the perfect match for you.
You're always smiling, always fair,
When I need you, you're always there.
Never complaining, even when tired,
You're a special person to be admired.
Flowers, meals, each romantic date;
Precious memories with my soul mate.
Now thirty six years have gone by
Our precious love will never die.
These words of love are sincere,
In my heart you are very dear.
On Valentine's Day you deserve your due,
With an extra special gift for you.
---
Sarah Razaq
Roses are red, violets are blue,
U chose her, oh boohoo.
Strong, determined I shall rise,
While you're with her and her guys.
Faithful is what you can't be,
But then again neither is she.
Match made in heaven is what it seems,
Karma shall strike and I reign supreme.
Seconds is what you will be, while I sit at home with our 3.
Broken family is what you have made, while playing happy families with this charade.
---
Love token
Shirley Cook
I find the Welsh love spoon
in the drawer beneath old cutlery.
The wooden heart-shaped
handle is chipped now, brass bowl
tarnished with age. We kept it for years
in the glass sugar dish - a wedding gift.
You bought the spoon
in Harlech, where we spent
our honeymoon. How it rained.
Soaked, we sheltered in the castle
shop. A woman, excited to hear
we were newly-weds, said we
should buy a Welsh love spoon,
to ensure eternal happiness.
Fifty years later, she was not wrong.
---
Kirsty Connor
Roses are red
Violets are blue
You are my soul mate
My one and only "I do!"
We met on a blind date
23 years ago
From the moment we met
Our love seemed to grow
I will love you forever
Til death do us part
My lover, my Valentine
The keeper of my heart
---
Roopeps Disley
Your smile is like a beautiful rainbow,
Your eyes are mesmorizing like fallen snow,
Your laugh makes me warm inside,
Your touch is exciting like a water slide,
I love your more and more each day,
Please be be my valentine every day
---
Hayley Robinson
I stood trying not to hover like a May flower .
Unbothered still , but wanting you to notice me .
My arms reached skyward to wave at you , as you
moved closer .
For I could take small pleasure , in a glance from you .
My cheeks melt , when you make me smile .
Your hair glistens like Gold in the sunlight .
The trees whisper a love tale cast within
their shadows . And you reach into your pocket .
And take out your penknife , starting to carve
my name deep within the old oak tree ,
where I first met you .
My heart ascended like air carried motionless
upon a cloud . It was at that moment my soul
shifted , and I realised that you loved me
---
Karen Foy
There once was a tree hugger named Joe
Every Valentine's Day he would know
To travel far and wide,
His emotions he'd not hide,
And spread love wherever he'd go.
---
Roses are red, violets are blue,
Our love is like a blooming garden, it's true.
With you by my side, I can thrive,
Together we're a beautiful sight, to come alive.
You're my sunflower, always bright,
Bringing joy to my day and night.
Our love is strong and will grow,
Forever a wildflower, aglow.
Happy Valentine's Day, my love,
Together we're a masterpiece from above.
Our love is a beautiful flower,
Forever blooming, hour after hour.
---
Beth Tafat
An Oak tree stands tall and proud,
Its branches reaching to the clouds.
Its roots run deep, like true love's might,
An unshakable force, a beautiful sight.
Like this tree, our love will grow,
With each passing year, its beauty will show.
Through the seasons, come rain or shine,
Our love will stand the test of time.
Let us be like this Oak, strong and free,
With love as the root, and honesty.
Together, our love will never fade,
A beautiful bond, forever made.
So on this valentine, I want to say,
That my love for you, will never sway.
Like an oak in a forest, we'll stand tall,
Together forever, through it all.
---
Saint Valentine
Wendy Heath
Saint Valentine was a priest who lived in the third century AD. He was sentenced to death but no criminal was he.
The emperor of Rome, Claudius was his name, forbid his soldiers to marry throughout his reign. He feared a wife would make his men weak, there prospects for victory on the battel field bleak. These were his predictions for a soldier who is wed, to be laying in the dirt wounded or dead.
Saint Valentine was a man with a higher vocation to heal the souls of men from every station, in secret the couples he did wed, allowing soldiers to take a wife to their bed.
Claudius was angry and he took his revenge, Valentine was to be executed and his life was to end.
Imprisoned Valentine love he did find, his jailers daughter was both beautiful and kind, and what should have been his darkest of days turned out to be his happiest in many different ways. History tells us that when the day came for his life to end an urgent letter to his girl he did send. This letter of true love he then did sign.
From your Valentine.
Saint Valentine was executed in Rome on the 14th February in the third century AD.
---
A Corinthian Sonnet
Annie Francis
Love is fragrant,
Love is brined,
Love tastes better unrefined.
You do not envy,
I do not boast,
We both like jammy buttered toast.
We honour one another,
Serve each other first,
Try to keep our crumpets,
Our home truths with tea dispersed.
Anoint our heads with olives,
Forgive us when we idle,
Cover us with fig leaves,
Our love will never bridle;
It is always hand picked,
Home grown,
Over flowing
Barrow loads
Of preserving
fruit.
---
Kelly-Jae Lowe
My beloved mighty oak, so big, so strong,
Been around for years and will stay for longer,
A stalwart of our forests, a soldier of the glade,
A mother, a father, dependable and unafraid,
A friend and an ally, the forest inspector,
The woodland guardian, the noble protector.
A tree so ancient and one to admire,
A coppice master, you are my heart's truest desire.
---
Meeting My Valentine
Sue and Dave Birch
Wide eyes meeting through the trees
Not across a room, but in a gentle breeze
Both out walking in nature's glory
So begins our Valentine's story
'Forest bathing' we'd call it now
As we wandered under leafy boughs
Both soaking up the sights and sounds
Of wooded glades and leaf-strewn grounds
Shyly I walked over to say "hello"
As we watched the wildlife come and go
We started talking, my new friend and me
About the majesty of ancient trees
We'd much in common, were so alike
To be together just felt so right
Immersed in greenery in our little world
Of bark and blossom, leaves unfurled
And forty years on its just the same
My spine tingles when you call my name
Never to be parted now you're mine
My precious darling valentine
---
Dale Gray
A man falls deeply in love,
With a woman like no other,
Her smile a gentle dove,
That makes his heart flutter.
Her laugh is music to his ears,
Her eyes the stars above,
With her, he has no fears,
And finds his soul renewed with love.
Her touch is like a warm embrace,
Her presence, a calming breeze,
Together, they find a place,
Where love and peace never cease.
She's his sun in the darkest night,
His comfort through the storms,
With her, everything feels right,
And he knows he'll always be warm.
In love, he finds his home,
With her, he'll forever be,
Together, they'll never roam,
For she's the only one he'll ever need.
---
Roses are red, and violets are blue, The trees and the flowers, they whisper of you. Their petals so soft, leaves so serene, A symbol of love, evergreen.
In the fields of love, where nature prevails, The trees sway gently, to the soft morning gales.
Their branches entwine, like two hearts as one, A love so pure, it has just begun.
So on this Valentine's Day, my love, so true, I give you my heart, forever I'll cherish you. With trees and flowers, a symbol of our love, Together, forever, soaring high like a dove
---
Alison Ford
My Garden is Green:
The Grass is green
The Leaves are green
The Limes are green
The Pears are green.
You wear green:
I like green!
Your Garden is Red:
The sky is red
The trees are red
Apples are red
Tomatoes are red.
You wear red:
I like red!
Our Garden is Gold:
The sun is gold
The light is gold
The bush is gold
The tree is gold.
We wear gold:
We like gold!
When I found you I struck gold
Your hair is gold
Your heart is gold
Your words are gold
Your roses are gold
Our rings are gold
I love gold.
---
All my dreams
Moray McGowan
All my dreams
That I thought had fled beyond the stars
And there shriveled into dust
Have gathered in a noisy crowd outside your window
Yes, down there in the garden
In the place
Where croaking toads that wondrous summer night
Bade our mad potlatch begin
But don't get up
My dreams will lift your latch and climb your stair
And lie beside you
Kiss your cheeks
Dance across your skin, and sprinkle
Blossoms in your hair
---
I will love 'Merlot' for ever
Zoe Richards
Not that gorgeous wine that I'm partial to
But my tree which from a forked twig I grew
My Cercis canadensis with its heart shaped leaves
and beautiful shades that through the year it achieves.
It first brings pink flowers in spring
then lime green leaves, fresh and with zing,
and as the hearts swell , a sight to behold
Purple, red, orange and then gifts me gold.
---
Sindu Rajasekar
My Empire , Everyday I bloom And gloom ,to reach your eyes Your smile makes me fly to high of the sky You're my Sun I revolve around you Never mind day or night Whenever I feel I wanna hug you tight Days of fight Where your sight Never cross me and i might fall sick.. My love is thick..don't dilute it.. Maturity kicks the child inside me Just to feel you as a father Your act made may scars for me In heart it's flaming like fire My eyes never allowed me to shower the same It's all in the game... Never failed to suprise you On return you Never surprised and I failed World of words And ship of tears Still floating
And here the same me Writing a poem for you All I need is not your name or fame Just your love and lovely words of care You're my part And I'll never leave you apart..
---
Frances Heaton
Lazing by the beech, we pine we're getting alder.
But your beautiful hazel eyes can still make me smoulder.
All spruce up, best suit and tie, yew still bamboozle me
Though you're the elder, you're strong as an oak tree.
We're a funny pear, you so poplar and strong
While plane old me lovingly tags along.
---
Joe Smith
My dearest love, you're a breath of fresh air
Like a tree in a forest, you bring beauty everywhere
With a trunk so strong you reach into the sky,
Your branches provide shelter to the lovers who wander by.
Our roots run deep, strong and true
And I'm glad I can spend my life with you
Just like a tree that weathers every storm
Together we'll weather life's challenges and stay safe from harm.
So on this tree-mendous Valentine's Day,
Know I'll always be here for you, come what may
Together we'll grow, in the rays of the sun,
Just like an endless forest, our love will go on.
---
Michelle Louise
Alone on Valentine's Day some would despair
However I use it as a day for self care,
A day all for me to do what I please
No soppy card is a guarantee.
Instead it's a pamper day just for me
A meal cooked oh so perfectly!
I laugh and sing and do my own thing
No awkward moments that make you cringe
C'mon singles, take the plunge,
Get in the spirit and self- indulge!
---
‘Valentine’
Cherie Glover
A wonderful gift of joy you bring..
Your presence , your love, your cherishing
Empowers me with feelings so strong..
Of sweetness, beauty, much as a birdsong
My heart embraces all that you are..
My wondrous valentine - my vibrant star
Such flutters, excitement, a warmth within..
Forever, together from here on in!!
---
Daniel Boland
Roses are red, violets are blue,
I'm so glad I found someone like you.
You make me smile, you make me laugh,
With you by my side, life's a breeze and a half!
So here's a big hug and a kiss on the cheek,
To the one who makes my heart skip a beat.
Happy Valentine's Day to the love of my life,
You're my sunshine on a cloudy day, my reason and my strife!
---
IN A MOMENT
Lorraine Wade
It could have been a glance or just a chance.
A moment in time for a long slow dance.
I saw your smile on your face an knew I didn't stand a chance.
My heart was capture in that moment a hope for romance.
As you walk threw the crowd to make it too your table.
This is my chance I'm willing and able.
With all the courage and hope I walk toward you.
Not knowing how you will react, or even if I can reach you.
So I open my mouth hoping this moment will last a life time.
To say could you, would you be my valentine.
---
Andrea Goodheart
You grew on me
Like moss on a stone
Or a leaf on a twig
We grew together
Like tributaries of a river
Or hair styled into a plait
Now we grow old
Two as one
Until death do us part
---
Clinton Siegle
Tree love.. acrostic
Tree valentine's day in love with a tree.
Reality, we all breathe more from oxygen from the ocean.
Eternity, however, remembers the tree in love with me.
Evergreen tree in love with thee.
A beautiful tree for valentine's day.
Love to make you breathe.
Oxygen to make you see and breathe.
Valentine's day love I am in love with thee, and trees.
Evergreen trees to make you breathe in love.
---
Amy Dacre
I love you, I love you, I love you, so mighty.
I wish your pyjamas were next to my nightie.
Don't be mistaken don't be misled,
I mean on the washing line and not in bed.
---
Nadine Carruthers
I wouldn't be able to leaf my door, without the constance and positive vines of and my dearest Debbie always reaching out when i need it the most and filling my water bottle up when i'm a husk, she's blooming lovely! 🤣
---
Victor Kerekes
It gives me pause
To think about
My lovely, darling wife.
From way outside my field of view,
She dropped into my life.
And ever since, the world has changed.
For, much to my surprise,
The sweetest thing I ever saw
Was looking through those eyes…
This strange mysterious creature
(The likes of which was new)
Had quickly ripped my heart out
And slain me, through and through.
Beyond that guileless candor
Lay a simple depth so wise,
My gaze could only marvel
At the life behind those eyes!
Her life, which didn't come from here,
Reminds me that my heart
Just doesn't fit here, either,
And comes from other parts.
She smells like home,
And makes me long
For things beyond my ken;
For memories that I should have,
But can't remember when.
The closest thing to heaven, then,
To ever touch my life,
At first glance, is a child,
And lives within my wife.
---
A lucky shot.
Richard J Parry
In my walk amongst the trees
And feeling completely at my ease
I suddenly felt with some alarm
A feathered arrow pierce my arm.
This I thought was rather stupid
In fact I had been shot by Cupid.
Why he picked me I can’t say
Perhaps it was a ricochet..
Then before me stood a girl.
Who set my senses in a whirl.
Whether by accident or design
I had found my Valentine.
---
Mitchel Murphy
In the beginning
God pulled threads of light from the sun and wove his body beautiful.
Painted him with the pink, red and white hues of morning time and called him mine.
Placed oceans in his eyes and watched me drift away.
Carved his face like clay
Finished with a flint in his throat and he spoke...
Happy Valentines day.
---
Melanie Rice
The love. That feeling.
Her heart so volatile, filled with the purest, deepest love spiked with terror.
She loved him so wholly, so deeply that the smile, which was so unusual for her troubled soul, was now with her in every moment of her being.
---
Carol Oldham
They say that trees grow close, but stop before their branches touch.
If I were a tree I would furl my leaves around you,
Caress you in a green embrace,
Apple-fresh and verdant
And in Spring when at last you blossomed, haloed by a cloud of bees
Our love would taste of sweet pollen and honey.
---
Valentine fruit cake- lovers
Precious Makazha
Romantically, my boyfriend and I
Are, nicknamed valentine fruit-cake
Lovers, for our romance is hidden in
a, red iced heart, shaped valentine fruit
Cake
Surprisingly on valentines morning
My boyfriend arrived with, the red
Iced fruit cake he then sliced a pierce
Of the, fruit cake and he gave it to
Me to nibble
I then realized, that the way he
Makes, love and caresses me was
Hidden in the red iced valentine fruit
Cake, amusingly, we both burst into
Romantic, laughter as valentine fruit -cake
Lovers.
---
Unromantic Ballad
Richard Argent
I cannot stand a love song
None of them ring true
Flowers are a waste of space
I've seen roses that are blue
Yes, jewellery's an investment
Sparkling like morning dew
If only I could choose a style
That would make you happy too
Cards are bleedin' awful
The verses make you spew
Wish Valentines weren't created
Let's just have another brew
I found a smile that day
When you said, 'I do'
And though I'm an unromantic git
I'll do anything for you
---
My D.I.Y. Valentine
Mary Hodges
I put you on a pedestal
Or rather up a ladder
My Valentine, my Handy Man,
I couldn't have been gladder.
But as the years come and go
Although you're still appealing
I wish you'd get your finger out
And finish off the ceiling.
The plaster's old (like us) and cracked
The paint had started peeling
And now you've put the coving up
You say it still needs sealing.
You'll have to fill in all the cracks
Apply two coats of paint
An undercoat and overcoat
The chance is getting faint
That you'll be done by Easter
Or Christmas twenty-five
But could you try to get it done
While we are both alive!
---
Blair Hamelink
February night
flames blush
faces red
you & I: we, the lambs of love
our blood we sacrificed
for mosquitoes
bloated bellies
roused in constellations
above our lecherous bed
tuning our flamenco strings
strung face-to-face muse-to-muse
with blank voice
anticipating el duende
& surrendering to a hemlock cocktail
the Demon's Rum
angelic on the tongue
angelic down the throat
stirring the conflicted
knots in our being
cause & effect
dissecting our bowels
supined in a
dark silence
the gnostic
burden our lips
our fingers intertwine
& we purr our mantra
"with duende it is easier to love"
the burning coal (Lorca's voice)
reminds us that
"the duende won't appear
if it can't see
the possibility of death"
& in her sweet gypsy ballad
I hear dark notes
of a lover's lament
the cloaked Saint Valentine
or is it
the raw-throated
spirit of
a saddened Spain
laid bare
---
djane
My love for you is like a rose
It blooms with beauty, dignity and poise
And each day it grows and grows
Bringing me more joy and hope with every sunrise
Your beauty is like a river's flow
Your grace carries me through my day Your heart is so full of love and so
That I'm in awe of all that you have to say
Your kindness and your empathy
Your wisdom and your understanding too Are some of the many things I see
That make me so grateful to have you
When I take your hand in mine
I feel like I have the world in my grip And I know we'll have such a fine Life together, no matter the trip.
---
Perfect Pairs
Jenny Drury
Perfect pairs are meant to be -
Like Newton and his apple tree,
The partridge partnered with the pear,
Rogers dancing with Astaire,
Robin Hood, the Major Oak,
Cool Bacardi mixed with coke.
If you're not here I can't be whole -
I'm just a body with no soul.
Picture Morecambe without Wise,
Lonely Big Macs without fries.
Who is Cagney without Lacey?
Gavin's nothing without Stacey.
Without you two two's make three -
You're the missing one for me!
---
Jay Fullham
Just around the corner sprawls a sea
Of sable soot and urban fabric strewn
All that was is all that will ever be
Its breath recovers through the browning leaves
An empty space for it to wander through
Just around the corner sprawls a sea
A foam on the pavement runs free
Trodden into tomorrow on a shoe
All that was is all that will ever be
These towers house a community
Tomorrow promises allies new
Just around the corner sprawls a sea
The underground tunnels filled with steam
Gas-lit carriages with a murky hue
All that was is all that will ever be
The wave of the future children seems
To rely on our present view
Just around the corner sprawls a sea
All that was is all that will ever be
---
Self love this valentines
Natalie Watkins
Roses are red,
And violets are blue,
You must love yourself first, before others can love you,
With Valentine’s Day upon us it got me thinking what true love really means to me,
The art of self love is really where true love starts to be.
---
Monica Reilly
For Valentines when I was small
Teachers had us make them for all
As Love, this quality we adore
is not just for who we've a fond rapport
As a young adult I had a few beaus
My heart on my sleeve, I'd hand him a rose
Uncomfortably, as always a thorn
Gave rise to blood where skin had torn
In marriage, supposed love of my life
Strove for peace amid the strife
I missed him though when he was gone
Leaving me bereft, forlorn
My Love for my children knows no bounds
Inside of me my heart resounds
My babies had babies, for they are grown
Leaving me living on my own
I never before lived just with me
I learned to love and let myself be
It's rather odd but it feels fine
Finally I'm my own Valentine
---
A love poem
Marta Mazurek
I have known this is love since the day we met.
How could I leave you or simply forget?
You are the light shining through day,
You make the sky stop being grey.
Whatever bad happened,
That's just between us,
But nothing will ever pull us apart.
The love is real,
The purest love.
Whether I am right here or I am above.
---
MY HOLIDAY VALENTINO
Gail MacPherson
'Paradise' was 'our' song
and we've certainly been there…
Our holidays together
Are treasured memories that we share
Like when…
I got the amazing news
That I'd won our very first cruise
And I launched a cappuccino
Over my white chinos in Portofino
Then there was love, happiness and joy
And memories to make my heart sing
When you came to my family wedding
In the gorgeous Kalithea Springs
I wonder what excitement 2023 will bring…
You can be my Romeo
When we get to San Antonio
…Or maybe things'll get steamy
after a martini, in my bikini in Santorini!
Or in Athens I'll be your Athena
We could seek out ancient ruins or a tower
But I'd much rather drag you round gardens
To look at olive trees and flowers!
---
Valentine's Day Thoughts for my Wife that I Ain't Yet Met
Jordan Brennan
You are the baseball bat down my bedside;
You're them iron railings at the seaside;
You're the cascade of tickets of an arcade win;
You're a perfect uppercut flush on the chin.
You're that red in the chest of a Robin;
You're that fella from Flubber- I forget his name. It might have Rob in.
You're my quick wit, sleaze, temper and charm;
You're the bliss of sleep without an alarm.
You're the glide of a brand new ballpoint pen;
You're Millwall away: the furore of the Den.
You're that new slang that I've been trying out;
You're things said with meaning: without a doubt.
You're that picture of Bobby Moore with the Jules Rimet;
You're the shift of the seasons between June and May.
You are the sunset in Ibiza,
The last slice of pizza,
When Leonardo completes a Mona Lisa;
That. Is what you are to me.
---
Georjy Pantelli
If hearts could speak it would say to thee,
let me count the ways I love my HRT
You told me nothing,
I believed everything,
I now experience nights with no sweating
In that moment,
I found true love,
you've helped me even rise above
And I love the little things you do for me…
My happy feeling,
my mental healing,
no restless legs,
no sweaty beds,
no itchy arms, you're my lucky charm
no explosion of emotions,
no more tears that fill the oceans
And that magic in your touch,
It is for all these reasons and more,
why I love my HRT so much
---