Valentines Day

Valentine's Day


Today I drink to the Valentine
who charmed me when I was four -
a warrior from a fairytale,
as tall and broad as the door.

No-one could rival his horsemanship,
his exploits were a fable;
and you could tell by the set of his lips,
he could drink giants under the table.

The man they called the Ace of Hearts
sat me high on his knee,
and told me many a marvellous tale
before it was time for tea.

Before I was whisked away to rest,
he promised solemnly
to bring a gift from the golden west,
a pet lamb, just for me.
 
I remembered the handsome, keen-eyed face
each night as I lay in bed,
wondering when he'd bring the lamb,
and how it should be fed.

But he never came, and my mother wept
at the tidings of his fate.
This day, when sweethearts celebrate,
commemorates his birth.

Today I drink to the memory
of that knight from a bush romance,
my grandfather named Valentine,
whose life was a game of chance.

I drink to the heart that courted risk,
the odds faced ardently,
the spirit challenged by its quest:
to toil hard, but live free.
 




In memory of my maternal
grandfather, Valentine Martin