The Long Way Up

I don't have tricks and Valentine surprise But what I have for you I'll publicize These ten and four are things I love in you Here's hoping you'll appreciate them, too 1 You have a way with words that's so unique I hear it in your voice each time you speak From random daily things to grandest schemes To talking about God and online memes 2 And then you have a way with written words You put a heart to nouns and chosen verbs The way you paint scenarios in prose The style you use in every one of those 3 I love how you adjust to what may come You flex and shift to people, and then some Adapting to what's needed at the time But still yourself enough to call you mine 4 And then, there's you who overcame the mess The one who grew resilient through stress The challenges you faced emboldened you Renewed your mind, and made you stronger, too 5 I am a fan of your persistent dreams Of conquering the worl...

Yeah, so February 14, 2018 is just around the corner, and for sure many of my romance-rabid countrymen are going to go gaga for all things mushy -- flowers, chocolates, dates, cards, candle-lit dinners, proposals and whatnot's. I have no problem with that, really. Especially if the mushy stuff is actually backed by sincere sentiments and concrete commitments. What worries me are the "kids" that speed headlong in to "love" without any concept of what relationship are for (I used to be one of those). Here in the Philippines, one of the pervading cultural malady is the extraneous exigency of finding "forever" -- that special someone who will supposedly satiate all of one's emotional longings. Mr. or Ms. Forever is the one who is believed to never give you up, never let you down, never give you the run around, never desert you, never make you cry, never say goodbye, never tell a lie, and never hurt you . Many adhere to this mindset. ...