speak to me

face to face

my countenance to yours

in person and alive

so that i may see your eyes

every expression   every line   

each smile or grimace

each shadow of pain or

spark of joy

or elation

sit here with me

and discuss this world

and our  lives in between

write to me

in note and letter

in mailed  cards 

decorated with the thoughtful

art

of cancelled stamps

show me the scrawl and curve

of your every word

let me save this gift

a savory taste    for later

read to me

give me the  heft

the  weight

and smell

of    books in  hand

let these  fingers turn each page

let me dog-ear    the ones

holding verses and lines

strung together

to remember late in the night

allow me escape into chapters

for solace      nearness and comfort

fill the rooms of me with stories

the written word in my hands

save your messaging and e-mails for others

i want to hear the inflections in your voice

i need to read your words from your hand

or laying gracefully between soft-shelled covers

or hard-bound weighty tomes

speak to me

interact with me

live and in person

leave your machines and gadgets behind

remember

i am still here

and still

human