Friday, February 20, 2009

CXX - The Letter



The Letter

I got a letter yesterday
Handwritten by a friend;
On crisp and starchy paper,
A signature at the end.

No, not a love letter
But lovely, none the less,
For the surprise of its arrival
And the thoughts expressed.

I can see her in my mind -
Sitting at an escritoire;
A coffee at her elbow,
Some flowers in a jar.

Caring, tangible thoughts
From someone, far away.
I put it carefully in a drawer,
To reread another day.

---
© J Cosmo Newbery
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26 comments:

  1. nothing compares to a handwritten note. 'tis lovely.

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  2. Oh - the bliss of thick, creamy writing paper. The joy of hand-written expressions.

    And such a lovely poem.

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  3. Handwritten..that's expensive. Now even writing my kids' names on their exercise book covers tires me..

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  4. wow! :)You have taken a simple thought and made a beautiful poem out of it.
    I loved it!! :)

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  5. so sweet...

    I imagine this doesn't happen as often as it once did...handwritten letters.

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  6. How lovely! I wish I'd get something in the mail other than bills. I don't know the last time I received a handwritten letter. It gives you a special sort of feeling, doesn't it?

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  7. That was nice. I love handwritten letters too :)

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  8. Exquisite... such lovely sentiments about a simple act. Your rhymes are so clever, too. escritoire/in a jar. You are my idol.

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  9. J,

    Great imagery and you reminded me to think back and honestly, I can't remember the last time I got a hand written letter from a friend...it has become a lost art.

    Dan

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  10. well, felstead said what i was gonna say ..
    it's a lost art. i recently wrote a letter to somebody, but it's been years since i've received one myself.

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  11. Oh, I LOVE handwritten letters. I even send them! I haven't gotten one in ages, though. Sniff.

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  12. J,
    I gave you a plug on my Blog posting today. Your poem inspired me.

    www.woodandpixles.blogspot.com

    Dan

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  13. Beautiful post. You make me rather curious.

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  14. It's a dying art. There is something very special about real mail.

    You have your pet peeves, one of mine is the mindless use of the term 'snail mail'. it is so belittling of something that so many people crave. Odd.

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  15. Beautiful. ANd I too love hand written letters in my mailbox.

    I also love it when virtual strangers wish someone a happy day (even if forced to do so by an "extra" service).

    Thank you for wishing Big AL a happy birthday.

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  16. This is lovely -- as always.

    And I have to say I was just poking around in your links (which I will be visiting more as it looks very promising) and I JUST KNEW J. COSMO NEWBERY had to be a pen name! Just sounds too perfect for you ... if you know what I mean. This stuff just wouldn't be the same if your name was Joe Brown, you know?

    And I must read these letters. I can't believe there are even more goodies waiting for me in these links ... thanks so much! : )

    Your Fan,
    Jenners

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  17. I don't write words as often as I should.

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  18. does your friend have red hair?

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  19. It would be lovely if she did. Let's just put it down to a generic friend. No names, no pack drill. ;-)

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  20. Such a lovely poem and so visual.
    I do hand write letters occasionally and all of my poems and entries in my journal are written by hand, so much more personal. ♥

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  21. I do hope the real, tangible, old fashioned letter writing tradition doesn't die out completely.

    Wonderful poem.

    And thanks for dropping by my place.

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  22. Beautiful. I am a hopeless romantic and nothing speaks more to me than a hand written letter.
    Incredible poem.

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  23. While it may be a dying art, I think it makes the hand written letter all the more valuable of a tool! There was a time when a letter was just a letter! Today its a gem!

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