The card said “get well soon”
It granted “wisdom and future wealth”
The card wished “the best of fortune”
Along with “happiness and health”.
The card wished “the best of travels”
“Bon voyage and safe return”
The card is deep with wishing wells
For those who are drawn to yearn.
The card laments both grief and loss
With kindly words of solace,
The card provides a temporary gloss
A wish if not a promise.
. The card is wise with thoughtful adage,
. Delivers hope in place of ravage.

© Tim Grace, 3 April 2010

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To the reader: The card is an expression of considered thought delivered as an accompaniment. When the moment has gone and all remains is a chance to reflect it’s then the card finds its purpose. More than a note, a card requires careful selection and then more so personalization. In drafting the card’s message, the art is to maintain a genuine voice in the construction of a unique and/or memorable truth.

To the poet: The card as a singular object with multiple functions is the focus of this sonnet. Each couplet begins with ‘The card…’ and then picks up on a range of cliched phrases that have populated cards on mantel shelves throughout time. In writing about ‘the’ card rather than ‘a’ card allows this sonnet to generalize the simple principle as expressed in the final couplet.

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the card