Celebrating Valentine’s Day The Alternative Way at Trinity

Linda Ready reads her poem at the poem contest.

(Photo by Emily Bae)

By Emily Bae

Today is Valentine’s Day, the holiday that steals your heart. But it doesn’t have to.

“Valentine’s Day is such a hard, awkward time where singles don’t like the holiday and want people to come together,” said Alex Motter, sophomore majoring business analytical and technology, an editor of the Trinity Review, which hosted a love and anti-love poem contest on Friday.

Six students shared their poems, ranging from beautiful love stories to awkward Tinder stories to melancholy break up stories. Some of the poems were simply notes that the author would leave for themselves after their breakup, and others compared love to gum.

The winner of the contest was Emily Bourgeois, a sophomore and English major, for her poem about an awkward summer Tinder date. She won a Mason jar filled with chocolates.

Motter said they “wanted to have the event for people that have experiences about love and for people that don’t like love.” The poets at the events all acknowledged that they were no professional poets, but simply regular people wanting to share an experience with others.

About 20 students made up the audience, and sophomore Camryn Thompson was among them. “Poetry is not celebrated enough,” she said. “I thought it was a great way for students to express their feelings and thoughts in a welcoming environment.”

The event’s sentiment of an alternative Valentine’s Day was shared by other Trinity students. Zeina-Christina Zayat, a senior, for instance, said she will be celebrating the day in a unconventional way by going to a music concert with her friend, even though the friend has a significant other. "Valentine’s Day does not need to be celebrated because it is too commercialized and is not about actual love anymore,” she said.

Still others are rather indifferent about the holiday. Senior Samy Abdallah said he "didn't even know how soon it was.”

The Trinity Review is Trinity University's only arts and literary magazine, published annually and featuring writing and art work by students.