This special Valentine was a FULL-PAGE ad in this morning’s Metro! Yikes. I guess it’s romantic, but…it’s the Metro. I mean, imagine telling your grandkids, “I proposed to your grandma in the Metro.” Well, it’s poignant, somehow.

I guess I shouldn’t be knocking it. You take love where you find it. Maybe they met on the T or something. It could be their special place. And it is a special place. A lot of special things happen on the T.

In fact, I have a proposal myself. I propose more people fall in love on the T. I propose making it THE PLACE to fall in love. And Metro the place to tell the world.

I mean, think about it. Love and squalor. The T’s a perfect place for it. And don’t get the wrong impression: I’m not this “down with love!” type. Really. I’m all for love. I say, go ahead and open up that Pandora’s box of emotions. Let it turn your world upside-down! It’s a bumpy ride, but it’s worth it. Because love is transformation. And though life may look pretty good from the vantagepoint of the catepillar, think of how it looks to the butterfly.

That’s my Valentine’s Day thought for you. I mean, today, forget the squalor! Ignore this day the strange physics of the universe of love, where the distance between souls increases in direct proportion to the closeness of bodies. Don’t trouble yourself that I-Thous collapse inevitably into I-its. The incessant agitation of love, the monumental bother of it, the epic moodswings, the misery of separation, the constant angst of anticipating separation when you’re together. The utter incompatibility of love and everyday life. Forget about it. Butterflies die, but not on Saint Valentine’s Day.

Today we celebrate that hope which springs eternal in the human heart!

And on that note, I’m gonna go look at some porn.