Imagine for a moment that your partner is leaving on a humanitarian mission to one of the few remaining truly isolated places on earth. Imagine this area has no telephone access and your partner will spend a year there before emerging for a visit. What would you want your partner to hear before leaving; what sounds would you choose to imprint deeply on his or her mind if you had just one half-hour of their undivided attention?

Many people born in the last 50 years would try to slip a recording of some sort into the hands of a partner bound for faraway places. After all, every romance deserves a soundtrack. Making a mix tape/CD/MP3 was part of many a teenage romance during the years when the lyrics of pop artists spoke truths and evoked feelings no one else seemed to understand. On this date, the giver will create a variation on the romantic teenaged technique by adding meaningful words to the gift of music. The receiver should honor the gift by staying absolutely still and present while the sounds wash over them.

Now could be the perfect time to write a long love letter. Or you might want to read and record selections from anthologies of love poems. If you were traumatized by sonnets in 10th grade, now might be a great time to examine contemporary poetry. Many poets these days call themselves spoken word artists or slam poets. These word magicians look and sound nothing like Emily Dickinson, making it easier than ever to find examples, inspirations or pre-packaged expressions of the heart to fit your particular situation.

Your partner will love whatever you decide. You’re going to ask him or her not to talk for an entire hour, but to soak up what you prepared especially for them to hear. And that can be whatever you want. You can simply say, “I love you” over and over again or speak those words 20 times in 20 different languages. Every internet search engine has a free language translator. Often, the less time you spend thinking about a creation, the more it reflects your personality. Improvise and you might be surprised with how great the results are. Any free-flowing communication should have a framework though, so be sure to prepare at least a sketch of material and have a written order before you begin the date.

Thankfully, your lover probably is not leaving for a faraway place, so you will not have to push play on this sound creation at the airport terminal or read your hastily composed sonnet in the back of a cab. To the contrary, the perfect place for this date might be a personal karaoke theater. In Japanese, Thai and other cities throughout Asia (and in some North American cities), malls and bars rent space for small groups or couples to serenade each other or watch a movie without inhibitions. Four walls, great speakers and plush reclining couches make it heaven for lovers with ears. The wait staff knows to knock before bringing the drinks you can order by phone.

Absent a plush karaoke chamber, any darkened room with the phones switched off and clocks unplugged will help the receiver release all the frustrations of life and just listen. Getting out of the house on your date is rarely a bad idea. To avoid distraction entirely, you might look into renting a band practice space for an hour. Ask musician friends if they know of an available garage studio, or offer to make dinner for someone with a great stereo setup in exchange for using their space for an hour. As with other dates, spare bedrooms and other re-arranged places in your home function beautifully for this date.