Wednesday, February 16, 2011

An Indifferent Valentine's Day

We crowded in a small basement apartment
to watch a sci-fi movie on a small laptop
split a six pack of beer
and it was Valentine’s Day

The beer was not a statement
of bitterness or loneliness
it was Red Hook’s spring seasonal
a brown ale: Mud Slinger
and it was delicious

We watched Moon
a movie about an astronaut
who spends three years in solitude
working for an energy corporation
on the dark-side of the moon
who may be going insane
this was not a metaphor for our lives
our watching it was not meant to give the middle finger
to romances or Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan films
we watched it because it was well reviewed
and seemed interesting

While all three of us were single
our gathering was not meant as an embrace of this
we were not celebrating the freedom of singleness
we were friends watching a movie on a Monday night
because we didn’t have class in the morning
and felt like watching a film

I don’t hate Valentine’s Day
I’m pretty sure I would like it,
quite a lot, if I were coupled
but this year it was a holiday for other people
like Cinco de Mayo
or Chinese New Year
or a stranger’s birthday

My only grievance
is that my indifference is misinterpreted
as a protest of external pressures to be coupled

Valentine’s Day was simply Monday
when I had beer to share and a movie to watch.