Valentine’s is for everyone

Lolita Harper

OK, so you’re not made of money. But that shouldn’t stop you from

planning an elaborate and romantic day o’ love for you and your

honey.

Living in a coastal community where, thankfully, the weather is

gorgeous, the beaches are a hop, skip and a jump away and the sunsets

are breathtaking, you have plenty of free -- yet quixotic --

activities at your disposal.

The thing to remember when doing Valentine’s Day on a budget is

that it is truly the thought that counts. So what you lack in cold

hard cash, you can make up for in warm, loving attention to detail.

Lee Mallory, a creative writing teacher at Santa Ana College and a

resident of Newport Beach, said poetry can be the perfect gift and it

won’t cost you a dime.

“Poetry is sensual and provocative,” Mallory said. “It means more

than a material thing because it comes from the heart and that is

always more valuable than something store bought.”

Mallory knows that many people are not comfortable with writing

and reciting poetry but he challenges people to shed the preconceived

notions of rhyming stanzas with “moon, June, bloom,” and create from

the heart. A beginning poet wants to bypass the generic greeting card

composition and express honesty and depth of feeling.

“It’s not brain-storming, it’s heart-storming,” he said.

Try to avoid hackneyed phrases or forced, sing-song rhymes, he

said. Be true to what you feel and let the word bubble up from your

heart, Mallory said. It is like writing a love letter -- just let it

flow.

“Poetry may be a low-budget gift but it, at best, records the high

moments in any relationship,” Mallory said. “After all, love becomes

immortal when it is written down -- that is, it is caught in time and

never dies.”

In addition to wooing your darling with your poetry prowess, one

can also take a more traditional -- and less thought-provoking --

path to romance by littering the bed, pillows or bathtub with rose

petals.

Vettina Miller, a florist and owner of Every Bloomin’ Thing, said

that she and many other florists take the “guard petals” off the

outside of their roses so that they bloom more beautifully. Miller

said she often gives them away or sells them for a small fee.

“They are a nice little touch, especially in the bathtub,” Miller

said.

Be sure to go easy on the petals though, and remember that the

longer they are left to wilt, the harder it’s going to be to pick the

decomposed pieces off the carpet, bed or sheets.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

* LOLITA HARPER is the community forum editor. She also writes

columns Wednesdays and Fridays. She may be reached at (949) 574-4275

or by e-mail at lolita.harper@latimes.com.