Old letters

We wrote letters once
took the time to pick the stationery
wrote in our best writing
checked spelling,
grammar-
wrote pages and pages of news,
the birth of a child
the death of a loved one
the marrying of young lovers
we wrote letters once
to council members,
politicians,
new friends
old friends
we wrote letters once
sprayed the paper with perfume
for lovers
sprinkled rose petals
in the envelope
or a photograph
for someone we'd never met
but hoped too-
one day
we wrote letters
and posted them with angst
then waited every day after-
checked the letter box
once, twice in a day
every day-
until,
finally-finally
a letter in reply
with new news
of the death of someone we knew,
or not
the birth of a child
the union of two lovers-
we wrote letters once
and savoured them
relished in them
we wrote letters once
the ones we received
bound by velvet ribbons
in old hat boxes,
shoe boxes
decoupaged boxes
that sat at the bottom of the wardrobe
and every so often,
we would pull out the letters and
reread them
one at a time
each letter taking us back to the time
it was received
we wrote letters once