lost and found

i worked in the a/v booth tonight, decked out in black and sporting an oh-so-cool intercom that must be left over from a 1970s rock show. between changing the lighting cues for the brave souls who dared compete at an oratory contest at ucla, i rumaged through the crosswords and daily bruins left abandoned in my soundproof hideout.

sometime after the judges left to deliberate and the half-asian gospel choir began swaying, i found it. one of those square hallmark envelopes that require an extra seven cents postage was home to the little treasure addressed to marcello. it remained unsealed. my fingers slid the card out.

"happy anniversary," smiled its yellow front. open up. "i still remember the boatride to catalina, and with the look you gave me, i needed no words. mabel."

i returned the message to its corner in hope that it gets to where it is going. or maybe it already achieved all it was meant to. it made a long night shorter and a lonely booth warmer for one student working late in january. i'm thinking i should start writing love letters to strangers and leaving them between library book pages and on coffee counters. just for kicks.