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Description
There were hearts on the ground everywhere.
Not bloody, anatomical ones;
fictional, traditionally shaped, comically
drawn hearts, two bumps leaving
a central point, but quickly coming
back in to meet at the bottom. They
were everywhere and I didn't know
where they came from or how I
arrived where I was. The sun was high
but the sky hosted a slight green hue,
as if a storm were on the horizon.

I walked a while before I forgot what
my initial destination even was or what
I was planning to do.

An older gentleman walked up to me
and pointed with his walking cane to the
hearts littered all about as he said,
"Eat one, my boy." That seemed odd and I
ignored the order and kept walking on.

A tree was in the middle of a field I
suddenly found myself wandering in instead
of the street side I once walked on and it
had strings hanging from it with shoes
attached to the ends. A rather beautiful

girl came from around the bough and held
out her hand revealing one of the hearts.
"Eat it," she smiled. Her flora dress flowed
in the wind, ripples carrying her fragrance
my way of cucumbers and blueberries.
It was so odd, again, this request or command
depending on your take, to partake of these
red, vibrant, fictional hearts.

I kept walking, ignoring her order, and considered
just where this path was leading me. All
these hearts everywhere, so absurd! I thought
about my love, where she might be, well,
if I could even address her as such.
We argue all the time, negative thoughts are
associated with her mental image and she's
threaten to leave several times already.
My love, my love – sounds so foreign.

The sunny-side, heart-filled field began to
wane some but off in the distance, I’d spied
a palanquin, four muscular fellows carrying it,
walking very slowly, very purposely to a small
patch of grass not littered with hearts. They
sat it down gently and walked off as I approached;
on the couch lay a very well oiled, simply
amazingly gorgeous naked woman, red long hair,
slight freckles on a slightly pale complexion.
She was even more alluring than the previous young
lady and beckoned with her finger to come near.
I sat without an offer and she held out a heart,
bigger than all the others I'd seen thus far.
She need not have said anything - I knew what she
wanted of me to do and it seemed insensible,
so inane even from such a goddess like her.
I couldn't pull myself to do it. I shook my
head and stood to leave. She was stunned and
saddened, her lips were quivering, and I think I spied
a tear as she kept her hand extended, hoping I'd

change my mind. I kept going for a while, the
hearts all but leaving my path. There was a
building with windows blackened out all around,
"x's" all over the face of the walls, small
ones, big ones, and a cloud too typical, too
ominous hovering over it. A small light floated
in front of me and I was compelled to stop.
I thought of something to comfort my nerves, at
the moment racking with unexplained anxiety, and

thought of her. But her thoughts just seemed to
fuel my anxiety. For some reason, I thought of
all my other loves just then, faded and passed away
over the years. All the failures and defeated
attempts of romance, the beginnings and all
the many, many uncomfortable endings,
the throwing away of every note, picture,
clothes brought for me, and erasing every memory
of kisses, embraces, hand traces over my body and my
stomach started hurting. I think it was the light
that floated in front of me where the voice originated and
began in my head:

"Wisdom couldn't persuade you, Romance couldn't claim
you, Seduction, the most carnal of emotions, our last
resort, couldn't save you; nothing would work. Dear
sir, you are one of the few that have resisted love in
all it's most popular incarnations. You simply had to eat
the hearts offered and eternal happiness
could have been yours." I remained motionless and
mute. "You are one of the surprised loveless ones.”

The voice was a female's, light and something slightly
mechanical and distorted about it. "We're sorry.
We tried our best to help you. But you refused our
every attempt." I suddenly felt revulsion thinking
about my love. I couldn't resist the emotion, it was so
strong. I looked at the building, watched a black "x"
mark itself on the side, bigger than the others and felt it
mine. Pain shot through my stomach and I clenched it,

gritted my teeth and closed my eyes. I opened them and
found myself on the corner of 18th and Walnut.
A beautiful girl walked by, touched my shoulder
and smiled. It was Sally, the girl, woman I had been
attracted to for years, silently waiting for the perfect
time to express how I feel. Feel… I couldn’t feel anything.
She started talking - the words were inaudible, but her
mouth moved, it seemed, in slow motion. I tilted my head,
and believe I caught her say finally, “Will you be my

Valentine?” I looked back, blinked several times and
remembered I should have felt my heart leap, the surge
of energy conquering my every calm muscle composure,
cheeks rising so, so ever high, higher with a yes, yes, “Yes!” being
screamed at the top of my lungs! I knew it all, the idea
firmly there, but I… felt… nothing.