Half way through a book signing lineup, a young
man approached me and asked if I would write a marriage proposal to his
girlfriend on the title page of his newly purchased copy of Griffin and Sabine. I politely refused,
on the grounds that if she said ‘yes’, she might later blame ME and if she said
‘no’, he was sure to hold ME responsible.
Aimlessly
pondering the guys strange request on the way back to my hotel I started to
think about the old scribes and the power their jobs afforded them. Because
sleep is often hard to come by on the road, I decided to take the young man’s
request a little further, could I write a multi-purpose proposal, or better
still something that the good folk at Hallmark might die for, an all purpose love letter? I picked up my pen...
I’d
forgotten about this dubious missive until yesterday, when I was considering
all those poor sods who had forgotten to present Valentines Day flowers to
their heartthrob. Maybe, I thought to myself I could help. So I dug out the
letter.
If
you are in need of instant salvation, here is the ‘out’ you are looking for.
Just cut and paste the following, add the appropriate names front and back,
then speedily email. I can’t guarantee the outcome, but if you are truly lucky,
you might just escape the wroth of your loved one.
... my love,
The
first time I saw your face I knew immediately I was not alone. I've never expressed this to you, but, before we met I
felt as though I were drifting through a mist. I would see people, even meet
them, but never know them or have them know me. I felt as if the things I cared
about were of importance to no one but me. Then I stumbled on you and it was as
if all of my thoughts and feelings suddenly mattered. You looked at me and I felt
like I'd been made real. Through you, the world and everything in it took on a
solidity, a permanence and a sense of purpose. Your eyes made me mortal. Why
have I never said these things before? Shyness? Embarrassment? I'm not certain. All I know for sure is that it
is time for me to tell you how deeply I love you.
It's easy to say the words "I love
you", people do it carelessly all the time, but to truly mean it—that's something quite
different. Please hear me when I tell you that you are my love.
Love is a strange creature, throughout the day it
swells and recedes, yet it is constant. If I get distracted or speak sharply,
if I become jealous or stubborn, it's not because I love you any the less.
There are times when I am exasperated by something you say or do, yet I would change
not a single thing about you, because I know that my frustrations are born
within myself and are not of your making.
I want to do more than acknowledge my love for
you, I want to make sure you realize the esteem I hold you in. To me you are
magnificent.
Thank you for being all that you are and thank
you for caring for me.
I adore you.
7 comments:
Wonderful!
The vanilla, all purpose love letter. Only you!
Just finished reading Griffin & Sabine, and it's led me to the novel idea that creating one's own imaginary muse may be the way to go : )
This is absolutely beautiful. You've made an art out of love letter writing. I'd like to tell you how amazed I am by your Griffin and Sabine series. I went to a used book store a little while back and came across the first two books of the Griffin and Sabine trilogy. I had never heard of them before but they were crammed in the art section and I decided to buy them. That night I read both and immediately decided I need to buy the last book in the trilogy as well as the Morning Star trilogy. I've only recently got around to buying them on amazon because of my busy college life but I'm anxiously waiting their arrival. Although I haven't finished the series yet I already feel like you should write more books like the Griffin and Sabine series. We need more good literature and art these days.
Sincerely,
Ashley
Thank you for writing this love letter, Nick. Why do we hold back and never say these important words? Why do we rely so heavily on just those three little ones? Why do we hold back our love and choose not to express all of our depth and appreciation and amazement? Are we afraid?
/swoon Sold. LOL I've seen this post several times now, so I thought I'd post finally. Anxiously awaiting your new book. I scored a stack of used copies (why anyone would part with them is insane) that I will be giving away through my magazine. Your work has been one of the biggest inspirations and influences on my own work over the years, thank you. I can't wait to share it with others.
My family and I are going to be in Barcelona, about 6 hours from you when you are teaching in September. It's making me want to jump a train to come meet you!
Wonderful as always, hope this finds you well and in good creative spirits. My daughter makes me loop your video when she is painting, by the way. We both love working in mixed media collage and you've gotten me into colored charcoals.
Ria
aka Kraft Paper Muse/Renmeleon
This reminds me of the main character of Her by Spike Jones. Theodore writes letters for others.
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