Here's a photo series about what happens after love...

I’ve never been one to celebrate Valentine’s Day. I’ve always thought of it as just another reason for businesses to hike up their prices and for consumers to spend money on things they don’t really need.

This year, however, I thought I’d do something special for Valentine’s Day. No, I won’t be going on a romantic date with my boyfriend in one of those fancy restaurants decorated with strings of hearts and sparkly things. That’s a huge cheesy step that I’m not willing to take anytime soon. Instead, I’ve created a short unconventional Valentine’s Day-themed photo series.

Throughout history, people have always thought of February 14 as the day for lovers and they’ve always done the same things to celebrate that – husbands take their wives to nice, romantic dinners; boyfriends buy their girlfriends chocolates and bouquets of their favorite flowers; and kids at school send their secret crushes cards and singing telegrams. Those who are living in singledom, on the other hand, either stay at home, eat tubs of ice cream, and sulk or go out with friends to show the world that they are independent and do not need to be in a relationship to be happy.

For me though, the most romantic day of the year has never been exclusively for lovers in the present. I feel that it’s also for those of us who have had our hearts broken. It’s for our past loves whom we’ll always have in our hearts even if we’ll probably never see them again in this lifetime and for those bittersweet memories that we will carry with us forever.

So I thought I’d do a photo series that celebrates the other side of love. We all know that side, we’ve all experienced it at least once. It’s the side where we feel so much pain it feels like we’re dying.

This series is partially inspired by one of my favorite sonnets and mostly inspired by my own loss in love.

It’s not about being in love and carefree. It’s about what sometimes happens after love.

This series is about saying goodbye and letting go.

<3 <3 <3

Remember by Christina Rossetti

Remember me when I am gone away,
Gone far away into the silent land;

When you can no more hold me by the hand,

Nor I half turn to go yet turning stay.

Remember me when no more day by day
You tell me of our future that you plann’d:

Only remember me; you understand
It will be late to counsel then or pray.

Yet if you should forget me for a while
And afterwards remember, do not grieve:

For if the darkness and corruption leave
A vestige of the thoughts that once I had,

Better by far you should forget and smile

Than that you should remember and be sad.

Written by blueskyandhardrock except for “Remember”. Photos by blueskyandhardrock. “Remember” by Christina Rossetti.