A Letter to My Favourite Internet Friend

Well, dear Sir or Madam
I wish you’d tell me who you are!
I mean, we have an assumption
that there’s only one of you.

Let’s narrow it down.
First we’ll exclude all those
I know or have known
in what we call ‘real life’.

Then — favourite for what reason?
The one whose art I love?
(A dozen or more of them.)
The brilliant poet? (Ditto.)

There are witches, photographers,
teenagers, grandparents,
some open-minded Christians
and at least one priest.

I love a certain schoolgirl
for her courage and free thinking,
a gay witch for his honesty
and acerbic tongue / keyboard.

There’s the man who takes his dogs
to the early morning beach,
the one who captures the faces of cities,
and the fellow who draws.

The magician who loves cats,
the woman who’s my secret twin,
the film-maker, the widow, the pirate,
and all the story-tellers who delight.

And there’s you, both of you,
dear haikuists: one the image
of a real-life friend, the other
with a sister who lives not far from me.

I think you might be — both —
my very favourite never-met friends.
I think your art has made you Zen;
you give me peacefulness.

Our souls brush lightly as feathers.
I like your love and laughter.
I know you can be wicked,
I know your hearts are pure.


Letter Challenge Day 8 - Your favorite internet friend

Submitted 11 October 2013 for dVerse prompt: To friends (in honour of a fine online friend and fine poet, Dave King, who recently passed).