Before emojis

aimed 

to please,

and punctuated

our text-

driven

communication,

“Be mine”

and 

“I’m yours”

were validation;

or perhaps

merely

expectation

or hopeful

exploration

exchanged

on Valentine’s

Day.

Verbal expressions, 

corny

or horny,

are now confessions

made pictorially

with a heart

or an eggplant

emoji.

See

the emotion

evoke 

a notion-

a flirtation;

a wink.

Whatever 

you think,

brevity

of the 

emoji

is the gesture’s

efficiency,

unless

you’re me,

and then

you guess

the best

way to 

suggest

a thought

which ought

to be direct.

If love 

is a universal

language,

we each 

tend to speak

in a unique

dialect.

But to protect

ourselves

and deflect

from our 

selves

we opt

for visual

and physical

speech

we each

understand,

which now 

tends 

to command

definition.

A hallmark 

of love

is forgotten

egos

as we 

become

consumed

by Eros.

Hearts pierced

by Cupid

and all

the stupid

merchandise

to remind

us all to

exercise

expressions

of love 

to those

we prize,

and not

just

romantically.

Love

objects

to silence

and distance,

with an insistence

on affinity.

Relationships

with family

and friends

and lovers

demand

loving

attention

and some

sort of mention

of “I love you!”.

Whether with

an object,

or more 

direct

speech,

each person

you can reach

needs 

your love.

Happy Valentine’s Day!