A Hallmark for Bill
Were I to write a Valentine for you,
a greeting card that said the perfect thing,
with vague specifics sounding almost true
that some romantic partnership might bring—
plain choreography of those routines
from morning coffee to a good-night kiss,
the minor drama of domestic scenes,
the consolation of connubial bliss—
I’d talk about the ordinary days
when two imperfect people get along
with equal gratitude and pride and praise.
Alas, there’s no immortal art in song
when life is happening exactly right.
As Tolstoy noted, happiness is trite.
Forever a formalist, Barbara Loots is proud to have been published recently in two anthologies, Extreme Sonnets II and Extreme Formal Poems, from Rhizome Press. Recent appearances: I-70 Review and Thorny Locust. Third collection: The Beekeeper and other love poems (Kelsay 2020). More to find out at barbaraloots.com