Love Letter

It’s the contents of a letter,
Written in love,
That warms the heart.

It’s not the envelope that contained it,
Not how it was folded,
The glue used to seal it,
Or the stamp affixed in the corner.

It’s not the paper the words are written on,
Whether it be tea-stained parchment
Handcrafted and brittle to the touch
Or crisp white loose leaf
With precise ledger lines.

It’s not how the words are written,
Either drawn in flowing cursive,
Rigidly printed by hand,
Or typed in computer generated font.

Nor is it the color of the ink.

It’s not even the words used,
Not the language in which it’s written
Or whether in academic or vernacular.

It’s the contents of the love letter that
Conveyed to the recipient
The passion unbridled,
Emotion unguarded,
The true essence of the sender –
The soul.