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.