HAPPY    VALENTINE'S       DAY    2012

  Roses  are  red,

Violets  are blue,

Sugar  is   sweet

And  so  are you.

 

Ever wonder where that came from?

The modern cliché Valentine's Day poem can be
found in the collection of English nursery rhymes Gammer Gurton's Garland (1784):

“The rose is red, the violet's blue
The honey's sweet, and so are you
Thou are my love and I am thine
I drew thee to my Valentine
The lot was cast and then I drew
And Fortune said it shou'd be you.^”

 
My iris for Valentine’s Day is “code-red.”  Sorry, no, I am not doing roses just because it’s traditional.  I went looking for an iris that could be used on Valentine’s Day.  This is as close to ‘red’ as anything else I found.

Code Red has consistently stood for fire alarm in every hospital or agency I’ve worked.  When you hear Code Red, that’s one of two things, Fire Alarm or Fire Drill.  Well, I have a question.  If you get a really hot fire in your heart, like for a super special cause, or for an awesome special someone, do you really want to call Code Red, and say, “Put it out!”  AND do you really want to hear that “Code Red All Clear” signifying that the danger is over? 

Yeah, I think a fire in the heart can be a dangerous thing.  Depends on whether it’s a passion of anger, or one of love.  And if it is one of love, it’s still dangerous, because there’s always the possibility that love will be lost, or poured out into an empty vessel with no return but heart break.  But what's life without a little danger?  Risk is a  part of every day.  But, hey, we're talking about hearts, real live breakable hearts, right?

So, here it is, “code-red”. 

It’s a beautiful flower. 

Happy Valentine’s Day! 

Do we need to call the alarm? 

You decide, it’s your heart!