Valentine in a Dragon Year

I know

I'm no simple valentine,
pearls don't grow in mud,
still thick and thin binds me with you
heart to heart – so clear our love.

How insolent rises this shadow self –
stretching wide as Saskatchewan,
full of wild flax and brambles -
I tried to press under glass.

Still you hold me like open prairie
kinder than any velvet glove.
Even orchids take a dormant year,
resting tightly in a bud.

So what makes our congress anyway,
tantric dances for the rain?
Love flows like that - fresh and fast,
changing tempo on a dime.

Can we soften like a spreading fog
rising up to fill a sky - satisfied,
still full of stars, even
Venus and Mars watch us now.

It's valentine in a dragon year
and the affection I treasure most
rests in an easy smile, thank you.
I'll savor the simple and the small.

I know

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