trixel

I got a letter from an older neighbour of mine from Canada yesterday. The handwriting looped and garlanded itself across the pages. What a treat! She even drew animals and flowers on the paper. It's been awhile since I've had a piece of mail like that and I enjoyed it.

I thought about typing a letter back to her and realized it wasn't adequate. Handwritten letters say so much more, like an analog expression of ideas where there's room for variance and depth of feeling, instead of the staccato report of a typed page. I had to concentrate and decipher parts of the letter, and that made me feel more involved. I could have misinterpreted. I might have to ask for clarification in some places. And isn't that the essence of a good conversation, the back and forth of getting to know the other and how they express themselves?

Oddly it reminded me a little of reading A Clockwork Orange, where the imaginary language was like a closed door into Alex de Large's mind which the reader could open through a little effort.