 |
| (image from my personal archive) |
Dear Mr. Vatn
it's been seven years
you filled a bottle with
loneliness and assigned it
to the sea.
It's been 2,556 days
I, who live 265 miles
away from the coast,
am the keeper of
your abandon.
Dear Mr. Vatn
there are 2,375,444
inhabitants in my city
but I couldn't feel
more left out myself.
From my kitchen
after dinner,
before doing the dishes,
I send you my best wishes
and hope your life is good.
Dear Mr. Vatn
it's the year 2014 and
you are not on Facebook.
I hope you still
write letters.
(Written for Fireblossom Friday over at the Imaginary Garden.)
(This is an original letter from a bottle found on the Northeastern coast of Brazil during summer vacation in 2007.)
Loneliness is universal, but the ways in which we can connect--like this message in a bottle (!)--are countless. I love your poem, as always, Kenia.
ReplyDeleteOh how I love this poem - the listing of the facts and numbers makes the loneliness all the more palpable. I really feel this, Kenia.
ReplyDeleteLove this! Your answer to a letter in a bottle is great Kenia.
ReplyDeleteThis is marvelous!
ReplyDeleteWonderful, Kenia!
ReplyDeleteI too had a message in a bottle in my poem-different kind of poem!
I love how you did this-reality is painted in numbers.
Beautiful...I hope he is no longer lonely
ReplyDeletelovely...
ReplyDeleteWhat an amazing story and response to the message in the bottle so many years later..It gave me goose flesh - all my hairs are standing up on my arms as I am typing. It is amazing the ways in which people seek to connect with one another.
ReplyDeletelove this ~
ReplyDelete"…am the keeper of your abandon". I loved that letter, - and I hope you kept the bottle. How nice to finally be able to answer his questions, his curiosity. I hope you do one day!
ReplyDelete