not quite love

on valentine's day
you see them
in the grocery
stores, picking
up roses bunched
tight in plastic,
a dozen for
a dollar each.
perhaps those
carnations will do.
they're red after all.
but they gather
confused,
crowding the aisle,
thumbing through
the cards that
say just enough,
but not quite
enough to chase
him or her away,
or give the
wrong impression
that love and life
everlasting is
in the near future.
funny feels safe.
the box of chocolates,
heart shaped,
the wine, the dinner
reservation. my
place or yours,
where are the kids
tonight? a necklace,
a ring, a bracelet,
i don't know.
it's a hard
holiday for most,
including me,
hibernation seems
the right way to go.