St. Valentine
Betsy McKenzie

One of the faintest of saints,
If you did not have this chocolate
And paper heart holiday all pasted on,
They might decommission you,
Like St. Christopher, declare you
Sancta non grata. It turns out
They don’t even know which of
Three possible Valentines you might be:
Two martyrs from Claudius Secundus’ reign,
Or a candidate for a bishop’s seat,
Who unfortunately championed the
Gnostic heresy, and thus fell out of favor.
I think this third, the Gnostic heretic
Is my favorite. He preached and wrote
That the marriage bed was just as
Rich and true a sacrament as ever
Priesthood or the Eucharist.

February 14, 2006