This month, my poetry sisters and I decided on epistolary poems — poems written in the form of letters, diary entries, text messages, and the like. And (because February) we thought, why not make them love letters or Valentines?
When we met over Zoom to get ourselves started, I thought I was going to write several short poems, all in the voices of the lovers (the dog lover, the sports team lover, the lover of sushi or space or Taylor Swift) — because of how language is specific and personal and contextualized in cool and important ways. So a poem to a dog is going to be ever so different than a poem to the Packers or Yankees — all of them wholly unique and special.
But in the end, all that fell away and what kept coming up for me was the actual writing of letters, the actual function of writing instead of speaking, the fact that for so many of us the written word is not just tender or loving, but necessary — the only way.
So, sorry to the dog lovers and falling star followers among us. This is quieter and simpler and more general, maybe, than all of that…
Oh, Dear One,
I am writing
to tell you
all the things
I cannot say
I am writing
with my heart
in my throat
like a moth
I am putting
ink between us
like a sheen
on the surface
of a pond,
the woven silk
of an orb-web
waiting for you
I am asking
which of us
will be unraveled,
will come undone?
_______________________________________________________________________________________
For more love letters, go to:
Kelly
Tanita
Laura
Sara
Mary-Lee
Tricia
Poetry Friday this week is being hosted by Tabatha Yeatts at The Opposite of Indifference.
PS: Would you like to write with us next month? In March, we are writing Pantoums and all that we ask is that your poem includes, refers to, or incorporates an animal! Fun, right? See you then!
I’m not one undone by spiders, so that last stanza is a challenge and sings for me. The quiet spider is a lovely poem subject. Your poem is lyrical and beautiful.
Tricia, what a beautiful image and thought: I am putting/ink between us/like a sheen/on the surface/of a pond. Your thoughts bring a peaceful quiet. Writing is the balm needed. Thank you for your words that are medicine for my soul.
Liz, I just realized I used Tricia’s name not yours in my above comment. I am sorry about that. Love your poem! I guess it is going to be one of those days.
“I am putting ink between us”– “the written word is not just tender or loving, but necessary.” Fascinating take on letter writing, Liz! Makes me think of “The Illiterate” by William Meredith.
So full of unspoken love.. the irony? I love “undone” in a poem.
As one who often wrote letters because it was the only way, this poem speaks to me. And that last stanza: Which of us…..? That lingers and pierces…. I’m glad you let everything fall away so this could emerge.
Ooh. This is intensely romantic in a sense, and just lyrically beautiful. I would be honored to put ink between myself and this gorgeous beast, even though I know I’m definitely the one undone.
Simply gorgeous, all the way through.
I miss writing (and getting) letters.
“My heart in my throat” and “putting ink between us.” Love!
A beautiful and thoughtful poem … I love “putting ink between us.” It invites us to wonder: is the ink a bridge? a barrier? both, or something else?
Thanks for sharing this with us.
So many beautiful images–and that first stanza speaks to me, of the power of what can be written and not said.
When one puts words, that “ink between us”, it feels more loving, more certain, not easy to take it all back. That ‘unravel’ offers a dilemma to me, however. Will it all ‘be’? It’s a wonderful letter of intent, Liz, even from the POV of spiders.
How forebodingly beautiful, love that web too, thanks Liz!
I love this, Liz, and I thought the spider was just a metaphor and analogy, so I guess I didn’t take it quite the same way as lots of people did. The moments of honest communication, of loving but truthful words, of not knowing what the effects will be and how our relationships will change…this honors all of that for me.
This is beautiful. As Laura did, I took the spider image as metaphor and saw this as a relationship poem, putting pen to paper when nothing else will do.