Deliver us, please, from every evil—
coffee ring stains and slightly damp
Lost in a drawer from May to November,
then kidnapped for our antique stamps.
Why we were written, nobody remembers;
we’re forgotten, dog-eared and dog chewed.
We provoke angry calls from overdue debtors,
really, we don’t mean to be rude.
Forgive us, please, our absent senders,
and as for why they just won’t use the phone:
there’s nothing like getting a hand-written letter
for connecting those apart and alone.