Ever since I moved far from home to go to college a couple of decades ago, I've had a thing about snailmail. As much as I enjoy the ease of communication in the internet age, I really love finding something in my mailbox! Sixteen months ago I joined Postcrossing, which allows you to send a postcard and receive one back from a random person somewhere in the world. I've been thoroughly enjoying the experience. It's especially fun to send postcards to students around the globe whose classes participate in Postcrossing.
Of course, one of the kinds of postcards I request are spooky, eerie ones. Here are some of the wonderfully Halloween-appropriate postcards I've received.
This one is from Germany.
These are from Lithuania and Japan, respectively.
These are from Russia and Germany.
“Henderson sighed. There was a time, he reflected, when the coming of this night meant something. A dark Europe, groaning in superstitious fear, dedicated this Eve to the grinning Unknown. A million doors had once been barred against the evil visitants, a million prayers mumbled, a million candles lit. There was something majestic about the idea...”
― Robert Bloch, "The Cloak" (1939)
Of course, one of the kinds of postcards I request are spooky, eerie ones. Here are some of the wonderfully Halloween-appropriate postcards I've received.
This one is from Germany.
These are from Lithuania and Japan, respectively.
These are from Russia and Germany.
“Henderson sighed. There was a time, he reflected, when the coming of this night meant something. A dark Europe, groaning in superstitious fear, dedicated this Eve to the grinning Unknown. A million doors had once been barred against the evil visitants, a million prayers mumbled, a million candles lit. There was something majestic about the idea...”
― Robert Bloch, "The Cloak" (1939)
- Current Music:"The Witch's Promise," Jethro Tull
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eldritchhobbit- Amy H. Sturgis
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Comments
We won't go gentle into that good night.
But we may well have a sense of humour, rather than horror, about it.
Beautifully put! I think you've put your finger on it.
Sew up the eyes of the dead.
Lock them up tight with criss-crossery,
blind them with the fishnet –stocking’d
hem of forever.
Ah, no.
Open them wide,
those windows from which
no one may ever look again.
Open them,
for what may they have seen,
in that last moment,
with bone’d fingers about a throat,
with the certain laugh of protracted
destiny
belling with sombre certainty…..
Frame a victor’s wreath about the terrible beauty of them:
Feather-flowers of blue-gold-green,
Oh, fragile
Cabaret eyelashes for the Dearly Departed:
Invite us within this proper peacockery of passing.
I absolutely love this. It's properly chilling all the way through. Great imagery: "fishnet-stocking'd hem of forever," "certain laugh of protracted destiny," etc.
I especially love that last line with its "proper peacockery of passing."
This is seriously fantastic. Thank you so much for sharing it!!! *hugs*
Edited at 2014-10-24 05:47 pm (UTC)
I keep staring at her... and she keeps staring back.
I'd never heard of Postcrossing, thanks for the introduction!
I'd never heard of Postcrossing, thanks for the introduction!
My pleasure! I've had a lot of fun with it. It's fascinating to read other people's profiles and see what they'd like to know (what your weather's like, or your favorite recipe, or a book recommendation) from you on a postcard. It's a very small thing to do to brighten someone else's day, and at the same time, it's touching to find that other people across the world are seeking to do the same thing for you.
I now try to grab some postcards whenever I'm in a touristy place, but I've also had good luck finding books or boxes of postcards online from sellers like Amazon and Barnes and Noble. I was surprised and pleased, for instance, that Barnes and Noble's website carries a lovely book of postcards with photos of places near us (the Blue Ridge Parkway, to be specific) - postcards I'd never seen for sale anywhere on/near the Parkway itself. Very convenient!
I get antique postcards by the lot from ebay. I can sometimes find 250 postcards for less than $30, which is a great deal, considering that -even as many postcards as I send out- it will take a long time to use up that stack. Plus, its fascinating to see little bits of our world that is quickly fading to the permanent past.
-Elizabeth
That's a great tip for postcard buying! The vintage postcards you send are brilliant little bite-sized pieces of history.