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Lost Art
There was a time
when we waited eagerly
for the mailman -
when mail deliveries
had actual mail in them
There were real
hand-written letters
from parents,
cousins, children, friends,
maybe a lover,
perhaps birthday cards
get-well wishes
or postcards from far off.
Now we have e-mail
instant gratification –
no waiting for days
Jot off a note with
a click and it’s there
No more long pages of
small talk about family,
friends, the neighborhood,
or a new recipe,
things that make
letters enjoyable.
Now mailboxes overflow
with advertisements
unwanted catalogues
political cards full of
slander of opponents
and dubious information
Most of all, requests
for money, accompanied by
unwanted and unneeded
tote bags, return labels,
t-shirts and greeting cards -
all paid for with money
supposedly sent
to provide help
for some needy cause
Trees sacrificed for what?
junk mail, trashed as soon
as it’s out of the mailbox!
What of all the history
gleaned from letters
over the years?
Most e-mails are deleted.
Whatever could be learned
from them is gone.
The written letter seems
to have become a lost art.
Copyright ©
Barbara Peckham
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