Poems (Kennedy)/An Old Valentine
AN OLD VALENTINE
UP in the attic I found it, In the cedar-scented chest,This quaint, old-fashioned valentine To my great-great aunt addressed.Cupids and arrows and verses Bound by a tinsel chain,And under a blood-red rose the line: "Sweetheart, Belinda Jane!"
Your portrait's there in the parlor, In a queer short-waisted gownAnd tortoiseshell comb that held your hair Like a carven, royal crownBut, oh, the Lurlei lure of the eyes That tempt with a mock disdain,And oh, the smile of ripe, red lips, "Sweetheart, Belinda Jane!"
Lover and maiden are sleeping In the years' unbroken trance,And here in this valentine I find The ghost of their old romance.There's no rustle of silken garments, No faintest sigh's refrain,But I feel your unseen presence, "Sweetheart, Belinda Jane."
Are you laughing there in the shadows, You with your coquetry creed?He loved you truly, Belinda; 'Tis written where all may read;But the hearts of the painted roses That never knew wind or rain.Hold ever your untold secret, "Sweetheart, Belinda Jane."
What was the message you sent him On that long dead winter's day?Did your teasing end in loving? Did you break his heart with "nay"? Ah, this valentine is partial, Its witness is all in vainSince it gives no clue to your answer, "Sweetheart, Belinda Jane."