I 've had series of rather bizarre messages....it's a continuing series actually, hence the post. Every time it happens, I consider writing, put it out of my mind and then, inevitably, a few days or weeks later I get another message. One of the major criteria for a blog post is a recurring idea that just won't go away....and so here are a few examples of postcards (or texts and emails) I've received from the edge.....
The first series come form a distance, although technology has ensured that no one is really as far away as we might think. After years of not hearing from certain people in my life, I suddenly find an email or, even worse an instant message, that just begins. It begins as if we had recently been having a conversation- one I somehow missed the start of. There is no greeting, no "hey how are you? It's been awhile..." The sender jumps right into the topic of the message without any of the common social niceties one might normally expect. Or maybe I have been in Africa too long and I want people to ask about my health, my job, my family all before stating their business. I regret to add the small detail that in a few of these instances the sender is someone who might be mistaken for a family member...or at least we used to consider ourselves that way once upon a time. I guess technically (legally? in one case) we are still related. But after years and years of no contact, after raising children that don't even know their name, it seems odd to call them family. And so the messages appear to have arrived from space, from some time long forgotten and impossibly resurrected. Who did you say you were again? I'm not even sure they signed their name. Perhaps it was a case of error in reception. Maybe the messages weren't even meant for me after all.
The second series come from people I have met more recently, though time has certainly passed. These are messages from "the continent." It is possible I could run into these people in the grocery store, though I haven't. The communication is based on brief encounters, momentary shared experiences or having mutual friends. What makes them odd, and completely in contrast to series one postcards, is their intensity. I receive love poems in the form of text messages and sweet wishes for a goodnight and happy dreams from people I barely know. It borders on creepy but maintains a sense of sincerity. Sort of. I understand the concept of wanting to keep contacts open and networking, though admittedly these message cross the boundaries of business or casual relations. Here is an example of a recent text from someone I have never responded to - a tactic I thought spoke clearly enough for itself.
(Loosely translated from the French) If nature gave me the power to disappear, I would disappear from where I am and reappear where you are to whisper softly in your ear hello.
Sweet and poetic though uninvited. Perhaps it is time for me to send a postcard from the edge of my own.
