Air Mail
Luftpost preserved:
knotty blue thoughts
inbound from you,
sorting your manhood
in '72 ..... across the sea
over my head
your desires for me.
I read all your lines
but never the spaces
never the things that you
did not confide, that
the parade of envelopes
held you inside.
You are still there
still young, still free
maybe coming home to find
I removed you from the wrappers
and sealed you in my mind.
© MLydiaM "Lydia
inbound from you,
sorting your manhood
in '72 ..... across the sea
over my head
your desires for me.
I read all your lines
but never the spaces
never the things that you
did not confide, that
the parade of envelopes
held you inside.
You are still there
still young, still free
maybe coming home to find
I removed you from the wrappers
and sealed you in my mind.
© MLydiaM "
Photos: Google images
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22 comments:
this is very nostalgic, mom. the last two lines were so bewitching. there's still no substitute to the ardor opened letters give.
miss you
that's gotta be one of the greatest love/mail poems of all time! it really cinches it at the end when you imply that he's always on your mind. the implication is much stronger than that, and much more powerful, but that's the best way i can put it.
awesomeness! thanks for sharing!
-Steve @ fluxlife
Hmm. Very interesting that the mail was given a gender and an age. Well, not necessarily in age (it just states that the blue thoughts were around in '72).
I feel like there is something passionate going on in the interaction between the speaker and the mail.
Just lovely, Lydia.
I remember trying to cram as many words as possible onto those fold-over air mailers I sent to my mother when I lived in Europe. Reading them again after she died, they seemed to me like such a puny form of communication compared to what we have these days on the Internet. As you say so poetically, it was the silences that told the tale of people growing apart. Now these letters record lost relationships.
And remember how expensive long distance calls used to be? I never called my family from Europe, and they never called me, unless it was an emergency.
We got badly out of touch and were never really able to connect again. Distance has not been this kind of problem with my kids and grandkids, thanks to e-mail, Skype, and photo sharing.
So some things have improved.
Hi Lydia, I like this poem a LOT!
Besides, it makes me think of all my pen pals.
Lydia, Beautiful poem, thanks for sharing
Lydia! I feel like we haven't spoken in forever, how are you?
This latest post really grabbed my attention, but your poetry is always fantastic so that isn't a surprise (:
The other day, I was visiting an antique show with my mom and I saw a booth that was devoted entirely to stacks of old postcards, and I thought of you and picked up a couple.
Could you email me your address so I can send them to you?
I really miss the old mail!
Email just doesn't feel the same.
It is not as personal as thoughtful and you can't keep it in a box.
I'm getting old and nostalgic.
It must be the rain :)
Hmmm....the truth does tend to be in those spaces in between doesn't it? Kind of like what Miles Davis said about the silences in between the notes being more important than the notes themselves....
I attended boarding school in the rural side of the Kenyan Coast, what, like 13 years ago. Letter day was Firday, and we all looked so forward to receiving mails from family, and friends, and maybe the boy from the school across the hill :) *sigh*
@Dex- "bewitching" That is a strong description and I love it, son.
@Steve- O, you are just too kind. But it pleases me no end that you liked it. :)
@Clandestine Samurai- Hey there; 'bout time one of us left a message at the other's blog, given that we hang out at many of the same blogs! Your take on this was interesting... :)
@Darlene- Thanks much!
@Hattie- How fascinating to read your memories/impressions of the old mail in comparison to now. Great that your family takes full advantage of technology. Sad to say that some in my family do not, or do so sporadically! Guess some find it intimidating and/or intrusive...
@Francessa- I'm glad you liked it, VERY. Do you still have pen pals, and is that still through the regular mail?
@Looking to the Stars- Thanks much. :)
@Rachael- *Great* to hear from you and I think you are amazing to think of me and to pick up some postcards for me! I emailed my address and am anxious to see what you selected. Thank you!
@Buddha- I have mixed feelings about it. I stay more current with the lives of family/friends who use email. But I do genuinely like to sit at my desk and write a card or note. Those boxes of old letters are in storage right now waiting for me to savor and sort. Yes, I will do that on a rainy day!
@YogaforCynics- Exactly my point! (My sister's family had a cat named Miles, named in honor of the man.)
@Juliet- Welcome here! I loved your story about receiving mail at your boarding school. It paints a very picturesque scene in my mind....
I LOVE this! I mean I suppose that's a bit obvious that I would go nutso for this post and poem!!!!
@Marie Reed- It makes me extremely happy that you love this!
This is a beautiful poem, tactile and vivid. You gave a pulse to the envelopes and letters...and your connection to them.
More, more!
Kirie
Like YogaForCynics, I was also struck by the spaces between. Very evocative.
Very nice Lydia. Makes me think of a song "no one knows how I feel unless they read between my lines"..so very very true. I like the part "I removed you from the wrappers"..well said.
I accidently wrote a comment on Yoga for cynics thinking I had clicked on your blog..and was commenting to you..how embarassing!..It's been a rather stressful week or so.
I told "him" but meant "you, Lydia" that I had got my car registered, smog checked okay and that yesterday I had gotten my drivers license renewal done. As I had wrote in Jay's blog the very nice people at DMV told me "okay, your sqeaky clean"..I asked "what does that mean"?..the woman said "honey were the DMV we know everything"..scary a bit?..hmmm..:o)
Obviously my brain is a bit tired of late..actually making the mistake of commenting to the wrong person on the wrong blog!..
Hope your doing well Lydia.
Blessings,
Rhi
@Kirie- I so appreciate your critique (done like a true teacher!). Thanks so much.
I'm happy to see Ms. Mouse as your new avatar!
@Rhi- I'm not aware of the song you quoted, but sounds like the similar theme.
Oh, how funny that you wrote to me at YogaforCynics blog! Of all the blogs where you could have done that I think his would be the most receptive to the humor and spaciness of it all. :) !
Congrats on passing through the DMV that way.
cute cute poem. reminds me of the old post before email! i added your blog to my links in wordprompts. thanks for visiting freshscoops. see you around!
@sassy reporter- Thanks for the comment on my poem and for the add. Now I have to look to see what "wordprompts" is! Yes, you will indeed see me around. :)
I love this, there are so many images ... Beautiful.
@Di- Oh, thank you so much. :)
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