"Paper Valentine Hearts"

Paper doilies and colored paper

lay spread across the carpet 

beside rulers and jars of plastic jewels,

glue sticks and glitter, markers with magic.

It was time to make her valentine hearts.

 

So much love put into each and every one;

she focused intently on the detail of each one,

making sure no two were exactly alike.

Like snowflakes, she wanted them to be unique.

Hours had gone by without her noticing 

her fingers stuck together in a lovely, glittery mess. 

 

She tightly clutched a thin, wooden woven basket to her hip

overflowing with red folded paper valentine hearts

that she handed out one by one to her friends, 

wearing a smirk of a smile upon her fresh freckly face 

and a sproingy spring in her step, as her red locks

bounced along with her: "there's one for you, you and you. "

 

"And this one I made especially for you" 

said the girl giving away her heart freely,

"just please be careful with it";

the girl then turned and walked away

with that same smirk of a smile. 

 

Her basket was empty.