Caribbean: It’s V-Day; Can You Feel the Love?   · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Love is definitely on the minds and in the hearts of Caribbean bloggers today; here's a quick look at how many of them are honouring the feeling that makes the world – and apparently the blogosphere – go round…
Jamaican diaspora blogger Grasshopper Eyes The Potomac is keeping it simple:
Valentines Day. Whatever it may mean to you, I’m going to make it a day for loving of all kinds. I’m also going to follow an old adage: KISS–keep it simple, silly. I will wish everyone I meet today ‘Happy Valentine!’
…while Jamaican litblogger Geoffrey Philp posts one of his poems, “My Crazy Valentine” and Girl With a Purpose offers some tips for those who might be thinking of proposing today.
Barbadian blogger Skip to Malou admits that “Valentine's Day is kind of like Christmas” for her:
It stirs up all kinds of emotions and instead of gifts I make sure to tell certain people what they mean to me; it's always nice to be reminded of how much someone loves you or cares about you. Friends, family, pets and lovers all get a slice of the love pie.
Her compatriot, Pastel Pink Paisley, posts a quotation that she thinks “says it all”, adding:
May your day be filled with all kinds of love from all kinds of people! Xox
Over in Haiti, the Livesay Weblog changes the focus from romantic love to a more all-encompassing kind – spiritual love:
Our house is FAR too chaotic for romantic candle lit rice and bean dinners. We didn't get the time to grab treats for our kiddos. Getting flowers of any quality would require a TON of time in traffic. Most of the greeting cards in our area are in French, a language we don't speak or read…none of that matters because when we choose to focus on the God of love and the love in our house RATHER THAN the insane circumstances swirling around us  – it makes every day feel like a day to celebrate.
Of course, some bloggers do the “not-Valentine's day” thing, while others, like Guyana-Gyal, make the point that “everything is a commodity now. Even love”:
Last night, on tv, ads for Valentine shows bang-a-lang me nerves like generators in the dark. Everybody seeking light in one form or another but making noise instead o’ beauty.
What happened to good old-fashioned walks in the moonlight, holding hands, whispering wishes to falling stars?
In Cuba, the concept of love takes on additional layers; at Translating Cuba, Rebeca Monzo writes:
The fact remains that to be alive, and even more to be in love, gives us enough energy to overcome so many difficulties, and each of us celebrates in our own way this and other dates.
Today I passed by La Casa restaurant to investigate and I was delighted to see the special offers for Valentine’s Day: the tab of 25.00 CUC per person, includes welcome cocktail, appetizer of home-based salmon rolls stuffed with fruit and cream sour, croquettes, ceviche, fried taro, squid and shrimp with garlic and onions…
It is true that these prices are only within reach of a few, but I’m sure there will be other offers for less healthy pockets. The point of all this is that there is a possibility, and especially the right to choose.  Make a celebration where it suits you…most important, no doubt, is that you and your partner spend an afternoon or a night to remember and salute the representation of Saint Valentine of this wonderful feeling we all call love.
Happy Valentine's Day!