The Lost Art of a Love Letter

‘Lady luck's still a mystery
With her head on my shoulders
And I don't know why
I still want her to dance
I guess that's all history
What it is is I'm older
And I'm still a fool
For a one-way romance’ Mark Knopfler

 In this day and age of SMS, Cellular Calls, Email and Multimedia messaging, I don’t really believe people actually take the time to write love letters anymore. Much as I hate to admit it, I am a romantic at heart, even though I am an Unexisting Figment of my Imagination.

You do not really need paper and ink, though that would be ideal. The feel of nice heavy paper, with your feelings expressed via a quill. But who am I kidding? No one has the time for that anymore. Personally even though I would like to believe in love, and do still think a little note to express what you feel is something that is always appreciated. It also remains one of the truest forms to express your feelings and love for someone.

Writing love letters seems to have become something of a rarity, and an art form that is rapidly being lost. In this world of instant gratification and instant action, it is something of a lost and forgotten means of actually trying to express how you feel about someone.

It really is a means of expressing how you feel, while ideally abstracting out the obvious. Ideally delivered by hand, left in an obvious secret hiding place or even just emailed.  The Love Letter is ideally absorbing, transformative and should have the ability for the lack of a better term, set the heart aflutter.  It should communicate the longing, desire, mystique and communicate the very essence and belief the writer has in the receiver of the artifact. It conveys the very essence of the most elusive of all of what life has to offer.. Love.

One must be able to convey what they feel effectively, with subtlety, a dash of flattery and honesty A Love Letter if not sincere or honest, has no meaning; it must be both sincere and honest. Personally I enjoy writing them, though not having any recipients is somewhat of a damper.  

So here is an example of one, for a woman who has fascinated me for my entire life, and whose love I shall never receive. Which to an extent makes writing it worthwhile. ‘For I am still a fool for a one way romance.’

 Here goes:

Were you a painting, who would paint you? Would Dali capture how surreal you make the real? Would Picasso be able to abstract your complexity? Would Van Gogh capture the passion or Rembrandt do justice to your eyes or Da Vinci to your smile? Would Cézanne capture your soul or Michelangelo your beauty? A picture they say is worth a thousand words, where does that leave me?

With just my love for you; which comprises my existence here and hereinafter

Maybe you should try and send one to someone you love. Might just be the most valuable gift you can give this holiday season. Love is all that really matters in life, take my word for it, since I know what having none is like.  

[Disclaimer: I have ordered a new Tanto from Amazon, and should have delivery tomorrow. I apologise for my offenses. I really do not understand life or love.]