St. Valentine

St. Valentine never was known as a lover
Or patron of such in his life.
In fact, as a Catholic bishop or priest,
He most likely did not have a wife.

It seems that medieval folk thought of his feast day
As marking the onset of spring,
Which many associate strongly with love
As the flowers emerge and birds sing.

The earliest documentation of anyone
Linking romance with the date:
A poem composed by the great Geoffrey Chaucer
Where birds come to look for a mate.

A century later, approximately,
Came the earliest “Valentine” letter,
Addressing a cousin the writer eventu’lly
Married (that could’ve gone better).

The 1700s produced a new legend
That Valentine, then on death row,
Sent word to a lady he once cured of blindness.
They’d fallen in love, don’t you know.

That story gets told by American Greetings
And others who stand to get paid
For valentine cards and what else they can sell
For an annual mushy cascade.