My mother used to require that my sister and I make Valentine's cards for all of our grandparents. For some reason in 1997, I decided to write this poem instead. A tradition was born! This version was sent as a hard copy only to my grandparents and was personalized for each one. Recently, while helping my Grandma Izzy clean out some old papers, my mother found her hard copy.

'Twas the Night Before Valentine's Day

A parody of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas by Clement Clarke Moore

'Twas the night before the night before V-day,
And all through Rachel's mind,
Not a thing was awake
Of any kind.

She sat down to her homework
(Not exactly her choice)
Then she yelled at the very
Top of her voice:

"Oh no! Oh dear!
With my homework I'm busy
But I haven't got nothin'
For my dear Grandma Izzy!

"If I don't hurry up
And start to write,
On tomorrow's tomorrow
There will be a fight.

"I'll start to write
A book two feet thick"
And for some unknown reason
She thought of St. Nick.

She finally finished
Just before her bedtime
But she suddenly noticed
There wasn't a rhyme.

So she threw the whole thing
"Dans la poubelle"
And began to scribble
The rhyme of Noel.

All that was left
In the telegram way:
Was: "Sorry so sloppy,
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY"