Valentine Rant and Un-Romantic Poetry
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My gut reaction is that St. Valentine's Day on 14th February is over-hyped and over-gushing, an outpouring of insincere, unoriginal sentimentality
To my mind, it is a great big marketing event, with simpering hearts and twee teddy bear (or other anthropomorphic animal) cards, dreamed up to appeal to gullible teenagers - and I do mean teenagers of any age, from 8 to 80 - who then count their desirability and popularity by the number of cards, roses and chocolates they receive, not to mention diamonds promoted recently by the diamond trade.
But I am only partly right...........
:
As you will see from the Contents set out below, there is more to it than that:
First you will find information about the origins of Valentine's Day, followed by my rant about Valentine cards towards the top and then you will find un-romantic poetry lower down
- In the pre-Christian era ancient Rome celebrated a pagan fertility festival in mid-February called Lupercalia
- Chaucer in the Fourteenth Century and Shakespeare in the Seventeenth Century
- Valentine cards became more popular in the eighteenth century
- In Victorian times
- So far so good - but what about modern Valentines?
- We have Hallmark Cards to thank
- If I Get Married
- Blood on Their Hands
- Marital Love - Taliban Style
In the pre-Christian era ancient Rome celebrated a pagan fertility festival in mid-February called Lupercalia
Lupercalia was somewhat more basic than Valentine's Day, with naked young men whipping young women's backsides to encourage fertility - a bit purvy if you ask me!
This appears to be the precursor of the romantic festival, which was officially set as a Christian feast day by the Catholic Church in 496, named after two different Christian martyrs, both called Valentine.
Chaucer in the Fourteenth Century and Shakespeare in the Seventeenth Century
were among the well-known writers who referred to Valentines.
St. Valentine's Day first seemed to be celebrated by lovers in the fifteenth century, when courtly love was promoted, along with handwritten romantic messages and poems
Valentine cards became more popular in the eighteenth century
when admirers declared their love with romantic hand-made paper and lace Valentine cards
.This is a painting of Persephone - not a Valentine card, but romantic in its own way
In Victorian times
with the advent of the cheap postal service, invented by Roland Hill
the sending of printed beautiful lacy Valentine cards flourished and proliferated as they became mass-produced
So far so good - but what about modern Valentines?
In the twentieth century, the practice of posting Valentine cards became more commonplace because of cheap postage; this enabled admirers to send them anonymously (sometimes in bulk), and some of them became quite racy (the cards, not the admirers, silly)
World-wide mass production of Valentine cards really took off, along with the cartoon figures and cutesyness which we know so well today.
We have Hallmark Cards to thank
for this reinvention of what was a genuinely romantic theme, and for transforming the concept of St Valentine's Day into a cynical regime of commercialised saccharine sweetness;
Hallmark produced their first card to celebrate St Valentine's Day in 1913.
This year ( 2010), an estimated 1 billion Valentine cards will be sold - now that is canny marketing!
Only Christmas cards rake in more money.
Valentine's Day Graphics
If I Get Married
(I should be so lucky!)
If I Get Married
The wedding will be so exclusive
that even the bridegroom won't know where it is.
My dress will be opulent silk
delivered personally by an unsmiling Mandarin
from the nether regions of Outer Mongolia,
borne in an intricately carved jade coffer
(like a posh coffin, but easier to carry)
with ornate Chinese lions guarding each corner.
Flowers will be flown in
from the botanical gardens in Rondebosch
and Balchik in Bulgaria.
The Salute will come from a thousand and one Kalashnikovs
Imported from the hills of Tora Bora.
And there will be no present list at Harrods
Because, at the age of eighty-eight,
I don't need anything really.
(c) Diana Grant 26th September 2008
Blood on Their Hands
This is a Villanelle about forced marriage
Blood on Their Hands
Do not reveal your abject fear
Forced marriage cannot be the way
Stand and fight, stand solid here
Protect the rights you hold most dear
Your life is short, your marriage long
Do not reveal your abject fear
If need be, run away and hide
Demand that only you decide
Stand and fight, stand solid here
Your parents may think they know best
But never put it to the test
Do not reveal your abject fear
Speak out to those who bully you
But get some help along the way
Stand and fight, stand solid here
I do not want to see you killed
And honour is no virtue
Do not reveal your abject fear
Stand and fight, stand solid here.
(c) Diana Grant 12th February 2008
Marital Love - Taliban Style
It makes my Un-Romantic Valentine Rant pale into insignificance
- Reuters: Top press award for photo of disfigured Afghan woman
- A shocking portrait of an Afghan woman whose ears and nose were sliced off by her husband as punishment for leaving him, taken by Jodi Bieber for Time magazine, won the top World Press Photo prize on Friday.
Bibi Aisha, an 18-year-old woman from Oruzgan province in Afghanistan, left her husband complaining of domestic violence. A Taliban commander ordered that she face justice and her husband cut off her nose and ears. She now lives in the United States where she had reconstructive surgery.
Sleeping Around
Sleeping Around
Shall I tell you who I kissed
While we were sleeping?
I kissed the postman
When his hand came through the door
I kissed the milkman
When he stopped off on his round
I kissed the fireman
With a burning passion
Bit off more than I could chew
But as the night progressed
I dimly realized
That every man I kissed
Was really you.
(c) Diana Grant 13 May 2009 Image above: Amazon - Guardian Angel Light
EJP
EJP
If EJP
Was a key
It would unlock
The door to my heart;
If EJP
Was a lock
I would embrace
My imprisonment;
If EJP was a door
I would open it wide
And step inside.
But he is a man
Who hides in a box
I can't read his mind
Or unpick his locks
If he was a key
The key to my life
He'd be my husband
And I'd be his wife
(c) Diana Grant
Poll: Which Poem Did You Like Best?
Match yourself against the other Pollsters and see what they thought too
When I put my poetry up on the web
for all to see, I do wonder whether people
enjoy it, or whether they just skim over it
to get to the end!
About the Writer, Diana Grant
Just brief details
And this is what I think:
Commercial organizations love to jump on the bandwagon, looking for opportunities to create a need, and then seeking a way to meet that need. They will fill the shops with every kind of merchandise associated with that cynically created need, in order to encourage people to spend more money. And they will try to make people who don't participate feel guilty or infer that they are not part of the "In-Crowd".
If you want to see more about me, go to My Bio at the top right hand corner of this webpage
Be Aware of how you are being influenced by commercial enterprises!
Why should you be made to feel bad if you haven't received
a card, flowers, a present or a message?
Remember that people can still love you dearly, even if they don't indulge in superficialities!
Visit eBay for items with "Love" in the description
You can bid in an auction, or maybe even "Buy Now"
If you haven't tried eBay, now is your chance - just sign up and bid on something small as a first try-out. You will be surprised how easy it is, especially if you join up to pay by PayPal, which is a secure payment site, and one I use all the time when I buy things on the internet..
If you enter eBay via any of the items shown here, I will get a tiny commission, even if you don't buy any of these, but end up buying something else.
Here are a few of My Lenses (web pages)
Links you might find useful or of interest, maybe even funny or shocking
I will add to them as I find them
- Janus - a Poem
- We've all met someone like this. I just chose to write a poem about him.
Was he close to you? Did you work with him or for him? Did you love him, do you love him? Were you infatuated or affected? Do you recognize him......was it you? - How to Write a Villanelle
- A villanelle is one of the toughest forms of poetry to write. This is, in part, because the villanelle is a form that relies on repetition, which makes it hard for the author to progress further into the poem without it having a feeling of not moving forward. When done right, however, the villanelle is a truly amazing poetic form to write in.
The villanelle consists of 19 lines. These lines are separated into six stanzas, all of which have three lines except the last, which has four lines.
There is also a special rhyming pattern. The linked website explains all this in detail and is really easy to understand. - Squidoo : Bookmarklet Info
- With the Squidoo Bookmarklet in hand, you are only ever just one click away from adding great content to your lens.
- Running Away From a Forced Marriage - Times Online - March 2008
- The Story of a victim of forced marriage in England - she was forced to marry aged 13 but later managed to escape. Now she wants to help the hundreds still trapped.
- Middle Eastern Ambassador's Marriage to Bearded Lady Annulled (BBC 10 February 2010)
- He was tricked into marrying a cross-eyed woman with facial hair because whenever they met she was wearing a niquab (full veil).
Well, maybe the niquab isn't such a good idea after all! - Saudi Cleric Favours One-Eyed Veil (BBC March 2008)
- And another thing - if women are obliged to cover their faces in order to avoid tempting men, how is it that the men feel they are unable to exercise control over their own bodies and resist temptation? It seems to me that it is the men who need to excercise some self control, instead of insisting that women in an uncomfortably hot country have to be imprisoned and muffled up inside stiflingly hot robes.
Quiz About Love
See how well you can do
Take This Quiz about love -
mainly a mixture of Pop
and Classical culture, so
what you don't know on
the one hand, you will
make up for on the other
hand - I would expect you to
get about 50% or more.
Go wild at Etsy - hand made goodies
Unique designs from a creative artists' website
If you do want to do Valentine's Day in style, you might like these:
Ardor Necklace Red Swarovski Crystal Heart Pendant Sterling Silver Fashion Under 50 Gifts | Price: $26
❘❘❙❙❚❚ ON SALE ❚❚❙❙❘❘
A flame red Swarovski Crystal Heart is suspended on oxidized and polished sterling silver chain wit... (full description)
Felted slippers and rose brooch set DANCE ON ROSES | Price: $79
DANCE ON ROSES
Life is not only a game. Its also a dance on roses..
Fully handmade felted slippers and rose brooch se made from softest merino woo... (full description)
Tattered Petal with Garnet - handmade necklace in sterling silver | Price: $0
~ ♥ ~ Made to order ~ ♥ ~
My little Tattered petal makes a new appearance – this time with a lovely smooth little cabochon. Perfect on its o... (full description)
the heart | Price: $68
"The heart" drawing is a layer of work: drawing, printing and drawing
using different medias: ink, pastel, graphite, marker
on white... (full description)
Final Note of Cheer in my Valentine Rant
A Nice Photo of Bleeding Heart
Bleeding Heart, Forget-me-nots and Polyanthus in late Spring
Guestbook - leave a comment here
I love to hear from people all over the world
What do you think about St. Valentine's Day, or any of the Poetry?
And how did you do in the Quiz?
Don't be shy, just say something - anything!
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brynimagire
Mar 26, 2012 @ 1:14 pm | delete
- Thank for sharing information ! Great lens !
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FelicityLuckey Feb 19, 2012 @ 5:32 am | delete
- 60% Oops! Love the poetry.
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KimGiancaterino Feb 9, 2012 @ 12:19 pm | delete
- Fun quiz! Rants are good ... nevertheless, I wish you a Happy Valentine's Day!
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Spook
Jan 31, 2012 @ 11:25 am | delete
- Couldn't agree with you more.
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sayyoulovesatan Aug 12, 2011 @ 6:38 am | delete
- I got 70% also, I have a feeling I would have done better 10 years ago. :) Awesome poems! I especially liked EJP. Valentine's Day is lovely, I usually don't spend any money on it, I enjoy drawing cards for family and close friends. Thank you for this unique lens!
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linhah
May 9, 2011 @ 7:44 pm | delete
- 70% I need to study more!
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awelldressedbullet
Feb 14, 2011 @ 4:41 pm | delete
- ~ Cupid Kisses by a Squidoo Angel ~
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daisybeam Feb 5, 2011 @ 3:46 am | delete
- This is a great lens on the history of Valentine and how it has evolved now. Well written, off the mark and unique.
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chefkeem
Jan 31, 2011 @ 12:33 pm | delete
- I do love this lens. Especially the poems! :)
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Momsbusy247
Jan 31, 2011 @ 10:52 am | delete
- I love "If I Get Married" wonderful!!! This is a great lens. Have become a new fan of yours!
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Valentine Rant
and Unromantic Poetry
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Just to round things off, this design comes on a romantic Tee-shirt for lovers - You can buy it on Zazzle:
Skull/Heart Burnout Tee by THESnotRocker
View other Beer T-Shirts
and here's a Note Card:
Heart by GloriousConfusion
See other Valentine Cards
by Gloriousconfusion
Hello everybody.
I love writing, computers and gardening,and was a member of the Royal Horticultural Society. I am a retired family law London solici...
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Here's a small sample
The St Valentine's Day Massacre
And a Good Thing Too
The St. Valentine's Day Massacre
Amazon Price: $7.22 (as of 05/27/2012)
This is how a lot of us feel about Valentine's Day
If You Can't Beat 'em, Join 'em!
Murano Glass Heart shaped earrings - Valentine's Day Gift
Sterling Silver Murano Glass Multi Color Flower Millefiori Heart Earrings Valentine's Day
Amazon Price: $5.99 (as of 05/27/2012)
Such pretty earrings - who could resist them? They must be worth a big sloppy wet kiss.....and that's just from the dog!!
