First Valentine
Thinking back to the moment an accidental date on Valentines Day opened up a poet’s book of memories.
Valentine’s Day
We walked through the Russian forest
where partisans sacrificed their lives and loves
to reinvent themselves in New York City
as taxi drivers guiding others on perilous
journeys in search of liberating moments
that would seal their future lives in happiness.
⬇️
Too many years sitting alone in back seats
hearing the meter’s ticking countdown
on a life seemingly destined to watch through
rain streaked windows at couples ducking under
canopies to steal kisses even as they waited
for the maitre’d to hold that reservation.
⬇️
A rejected Valentine’s gift dashed all hope
that old feelings could be salvaged, and you
added compassion to a cinematic journey
away from memories of failed destinations,
chancing later upon a restaurant where encoded
in a Valentine’s menu we found a script for our new life.
↔️
For Olga
Valentine’s Day 2014