St. Valentine's Day Poem by Tor Magnor Solvang

Long ago, in Roman lands,
A time for gods, with fertile hands.
Lupercalia, a feast so old,
Stories of springtime, brave and bold.

Then came a change, a different way,
A priest named Valentine, some say.
He helped young lovers, hand in hand,
In secret marriages, 'cross the land.

A cruel emperor, Claudius by name,
Said love was wrong, a foolish game.
But Valentine, he would not bend,
And for his love, met a bitter end.

The Pope then chose a day so bright,
February fourteenth, filled with light.
St. Valentine's Day, a time to share,
A memory of love, beyond compare.

From Roman fields to stories told,
Of Valentine, so brave and bold.
With Chaucer's words, romance took flight,
A day for love, so pure and bright.

Then cards appeared, in paper's grace,
To send our love, to time and space.
So let us love, with hearts so true,
Remembering Valentine, in all we do.

T.M.Solvang