Old Letter

Old letter Old letter in the bottom of my drawer, Old thoughts laid on the paper many-many moons ago; Old ideas hidden in a tattered envelope, Old feelings gathered on a sheet of paper, Now yellow and tatty like the envelope. Who is the sender? Who is the receiver? I cannot see..... I cannot tell.... The ink is old, almost invisible; A few letters, maybe a syllable....hard to guess... Hard to read...... Old letter in the bottom of my drawer, What is your secret? What are you hiding? Are you a love letter? Or maybe just a friendly reply to another letter lost in time? Or tear soaked sad thoughts of a broken heart? Or are you a happy letter, a happy sphere of thoughts Shared with someone close, maybe a friend, a relative, Or shared with a brother or a sister, a parent or an aunt perhaps? Or maybe an official letter starting with “Dear Sir....or Madam...” . Little and torn and ragged and fold in quarters, tatty, old letter What is your secret? I am begging you.......reveal! I am standing here, in the room, with the letter in my hand; Quiet, hardly breathing even, Maybe a miracle will happen.... Maybe the tatty letter like a portal key Will open up and will beam me back in time And just as I am stepping out of mist the sender will Be brought to light sitting on the porch, or in the shade of a tree; Scribbling his thoughts on a silky, snow white sheet of paper..... lifting his head now and then to gather his thoughts and scribble away again.... I am almost afraid he might see me, So cautiously I step back; but nothing happens, and I am still in my room standing by the window with this timeworn letter in my hand, still wondering When? Where? Why? and Who? And smiling I am thinking at this antique letter With its long forgotten thoughts, Maybe it’s not my place to know your secret, So little letter torn at corners, yellowed in time Your secret will be safe with me Well hidden deep In the belly of my drawer..... (02.01.2011)