Valentine’s Day 1996

Dear 6-year-old girl in my class,

We have only been in education
for two years.
We have not covered the romantic poets,
we have not heard songs about love
(unless you count ‘Wannabe’ by the Spice Girls),
we have no experience of love,
we don’t even know where babies come from.

So don’t blame me
or my vocabulary
or my £1.50
pocket money

if instead of a dozen roses,
a long, lovey-dovey poem,
a box of chocolates,
a weekend trip to Paris
and some lingerie,

I just give you a slightly softer kick
on the shins
than I usually do
before running away.
Happy Valentine’s Day.