Next Valentine's Day

It’s been weeks now - 
glimmers of hope surround me, 
padding slowly, silently around him - 
starting to erase the usual doubts, 
choosing tones dulcet around him -
leading up to Valentine’s Day.

Meantime each day closer now -
the air presses upon me -
humidity enveloping around me -
softer my voice slower now - 
sifted words more gently now -
leading up to Valentine’s Day.

This Valentine’s Day the flash is instant -
the thunder I now know was inevitable now -
wronged flowers, wrong gift, wrong dinner, 
wronged me he admonishes me justly now,
leading away from this Valentine’s Day. 

The next day, so chastened, I start anew,
Emptied out now, socially distant now, 
leading up to the next valentine’s day.