Hand Written Letters--A Vanishing Art

It's been taught in school
For centuries--
Printing or cursive and some
People learn calligraphy.

Our forefathers hand wrote
The Constitution with paper and pen,
For years it was the best way
To connect with family and friends.

Troops away from home
Waited anxiously for mail call--
And wrote letters to wives and sweethearts,
Who would re-read and keep them all.

As time progressed, hand written letters
Became a vanishing art.
Technology brought computers
And phones called smart.

Now we use e-mail, facebook,
Twitter or text--which are fine,
But don't have quite the same feel
Of being personal and private--not on line.

These days the only letters
Still written by hand,
Are letters to Santa
For toys in demand.

They have recently decided
To teach cursive writing again,
Printing is still taught,
Shorthand is out--thank heaven.

Yes technology is nice--
But there's still nothing
Like a hand written letter from
A loved one to make your heart sing.