No Mail Today

Burt SissonSad

The words, "no mail," have a dreadful sound, And yet it's so the world around; Wherever I go, wherever I stay They'll say with a smile, "no mail today."

Now friends will always say they'll write, And still I'm lonely day and night; And though I have friends wherever I've been There's seldom a scribble or scratch of pen.

I always aim to do my part With words to gladden someone's heart; But wherever I go, wherever I stay They'll say with a smile, "no mail today."

Burt Sisson

SourceLicence:Public domain (US, unrenewed)

Mood:: Sad
Topics:: loneliness, letter, friend, mail

What is this poem about?

Summary

Few things sting like checking for mail and finding nothing, and that small, repeated disappointment is the whole subject here. The speaker travels from place to place, but the answer is always the same: "no mail today." What makes it hurt is the cheerful way it's delivered. Whoever says it does so "with a smile," unaware that the words land as a little blow.

The speaker isn't short of friends, and says so. People promise to write, and nobody does, so the loneliness persists "day and night." There's a gentle sting of unfairness too: the speaker always tries to "do my part," sending words meant to cheer someone up, yet gets nothing back. The refrain returns in the last stanza, and its repetition makes the feeling heavier, like a door closing again and again. The mood is wistful and quietly sad, softened by plain, rhythmic, almost singsong language that keeps the complaint mild rather than bitter.

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