will you be mine?

you are the only person i ever wanted to give a valentine to.

i bought you a card once
but never gave it to you.

don't laugh:
it was this really frilly, yet minimalist thing.
all pinks and yellows and hearts.

it was meant for young kids,
probably girls,
with a drawing of that female donald duck character
or donald in drag, and with this sweeping caption:

Will You Be Mine...?

i thought it was really funny and kinda cute
but that was the year we didn't celebrate valentine's day.

and instead tossed harsh words
and thin plates across tiny rooms
until our arms couldn't take it any more.

the year of bruises and bloody noses,
a year spent fleeing one another.

so the card stayed in a drawer and then in a box
all the way from massachusetts to seattle
where i live right now.

i held onto it for years
but threw it out a few months ago
in some kind of organizational rage.

i wish i had it right now
so i could show it to you.

it was really funny.