As I have become older I've become more sanguine about St. Valentines Day. Once, to my mind, it was simply a Hallmark holiday, now in my own way I have come to embrace it, but in more a Sammy Cahn "the second time around" sort of way than a teenage romcom.
I embrace it because it is good to take a day to remind each other that:
It's also good to remember that St. Valentine's day isn't only for couples, it is for memories too. Awful things may have happened to really great people in our lives, and while we miss them we wouldn't have missed the ride for the world.
O Canada by Joyce Wieland*
For St. Valentines Day 2014 instead of puppy love wishes I thank you for being here and wish you happiness, peace, contentment and freedom from bigotry. Give your loved ones a hug for me.
Toad
* To make this print, Wieland put on greasy lipstick and pressed her lips onto a clean lithography stone, forming the syllables of the Canadian national anthem. The piece plays with ideas of feminism and nationalism. The “O” in the title is repeated in the shape of the lips, suggesting both fervent patriotism and a kind of eroticism.
Posts
