Take Care. I Love You. Poem by RIC BASTASA

i've been attempting to write you a letter
and send it through the post

it will be something that you will least expect
what with facebook and emails and Skype etcetera

but i miss the ritual of writing a letter on a yellow sheet of paper
detached from the pad
and then scribbling my thoughts for you as though i am writing a good
composition or a poem
i think you will be honored by such a meticulous deed

i will take time to walk from my house to the post office
talk to the officer there and ask how much will it cost me
to mail this letter for you
how many days
and

i begin to imagine when a postman finally hands the letter
which you do not expect at all
from me or anybody

then you will open the envelope and read the
letter
which i sealed with my kiss
(literally my saliva)

i will not ask how you feel about it
i am just expressing my love for you from a very far distance
away from my lonely house (not a home)

i won't bother you for an answer
it is a rainy season here and everything is wet and damp
but do not worry
i am warm and safe, embraced by my own arms.

i just want you to feel that i still love tradition
and perhaps in your modern world, where you belong,
i have become out of tune.

take care. i love you.