Opinion : Speechless (even in space) on Valentine\'s Day

The astronauts and other experts in that field are currently testing new hi-tech communication devices, which will soon be deployed on the International Space Station. This new technology will allow much more thorough and continually-improving communication between the ISS and the people stuck on Earth. It's ironic that this news is in the headlines on Feb. 14, the day that brings so many challenges in the field of communication to Earthlings, especially us men.

They made it look so easy, the St. Valentine's Day writers of long ago. I once saw a photo of an antique greeting card -- yes a greeting card -- that ended with the following lines:

"May your swains be all faithful

Loving and true

And ne'er by base means to entrap ye

May the single be married

Without further ado

And long may the married be happy"

You try finding something that elegant and witty anywhere this Valentine's Day.

Me, I will be looking towards the heavens, hoping that new communications technology orbiting around does some real good here on earth.

An orbiting astronaut

Fears he is facing the Juggernaut

As he tries to find words that would rhyme

With "zenith" and "galaxy'

"And sea of Tranquility"

And he hopes his e-mail gets home on time

The blue-helmeted Giant

Finds his Muse noncompliant

When for his gal he writes a new song to sing

He's tryin' to tell her

He's still a romantic feller

Though he wears that huge Super Bowl ring

Brain-tired and weary

The writer will fear he

Has nothing new or inspiring to say

But he'll still sit at his desk

As his scattered mind frets

Over saying "love" in an original way

The bloke and the gringo

From Justin to Ringo

Face the same formidable chore

Of experiencing their umpteenth

February Fourteenth

While feeling unable to say more

Than "I love you my dear

Even more than last year"

Without sounding like a terrible bore

One guy decides it's too hard

So he will look for a card

That expresses his love for her better

Than he thinks that he could

(Although she wishes he would)

By simply just writing a letter

Men can compose eloquent phrases

To describe NASCAR races

Who won, how and why we explain

But putting feelings into words

Is worse than 200 mph curves

In Daytona in a hurricane

So in Love Letter races

It's time that we face it -

We will never reach Victory Lane

Some men, at wit's end,

Will decide not to pen

Their lady some lame-sounding jingle

They exclaim with a sigh

"Now, I finally figured why

That Saint Valentine dude died while still single."

So my love, don't be ticked

When you see I'm afflicted

With a terminal case of writer's fatigue

Defining how you make my life better 

With just 26 letters 

Is obviously way out of my league