The Beatrice Letters

 Week 14: Winter Abernathy - 6 April 2022 [4:05pm]  


This is a line from Lemony Snicket’s Letters to Beatrice, my favorite love poem of all time. The letter goes through a list of scenarios, some outrageous, some heart-wrenching, and I’ve never read something so funny and heartfelt, something that makes me want to cry and laugh at such extremes all at once. There’s another line that plagues my mind, 


“I will love you until the chances of us running into one another slip from slim to zero, and until your face is fogged by a distant memory, and your memory faced by a distant fog”

The phenomenon of people’s memories being covered by a thick dust or fog with time while the emotions hold strong is a universal human experience and Lemony Snicket’s signature air of delirium makes an otherwise cruel emotion seem euphoric. 


I love this letter with all my heart, it’s the core of my being, it describes how I view love. No matter distance or time, I still love them as much and as overwhelmingly as I did the last time I saw them. This poem reminds me every time of how deeply I love, both a terrifying and endearing reminder. The memorialization of people in my mind is something I’m quite proud of, though it haunts me. I hold a consistent love for people, and it fills my mind and aches my heart. 


When you get the chance to read the letter in its entirety. I hope you feel the range of emotions that I do. The beauty of writing is that it resonates with people in different ways, pressing on different wounds and dusting off different corners of our minds.      


Image: “Typewritten” on Pinterest

Comments

  1. Amratha RaoApril 8, 2022 at 2:24 PM

    Hey Winter! Although I usually do not enjoy or entertain poems, I can definitely understand the importance and meaning behind this one. Love is omnipresent and acknowledging that is important. It can be conscious or still be practiced subconsciously, none of that will take away from the magnitude of it. Space should not matter to love, something I’m sure all of us should know by now. Thank you for sharing!

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  2. Tiffany ChenApril 12, 2022 at 12:30 PM

    Hi Winter, this poem is pretty moving and can definitely hit hard to some people, especially those that are experiencing this kind of love. This love is very deep, when you unconditionally love a person with all of your heart. It's really beautiful, but it's also sad how much it can hurt someone when something happens to this love.

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  3. Pranav SreejayanApril 12, 2022 at 5:03 PM

    Hi Winter! The fear of love being lost in the recesses of our mind is certainly a real one, and it is interesting how Lemony Snicket seems to reduce this fear into something to be laughed at. The poem also evokes this emotion well as it describes that feeling of something that should be there not being there. I suppose the British saying “absence makes the heart grow fonder” stands in stark contrast to the love here that is not faced with the prospect of dying one day. It is a comforting thought that even if the people leave us, their memories will not.

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  4. Kirti KandeApril 13, 2022 at 8:33 AM

    Winter, what an interesting blog post topic to choose to write about. I am someone who does read poetry for pleasure but I can tell how much this poem means to you. Reading Beloved, we are definitely learning he the lengths people will go to for the people they love such as Sethe who killed her own flesh and blood so that her daughter would not experience the horrors of slavery and its inhumane treatment. Love really can be a great motivator and support in life but it can also be the greatest weight hanging someone down. Thank you for sharing.

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  5. Katrina ChangApril 13, 2022 at 2:47 PM

    Hey Winter, your mention of Lemony Snicket unlocked some forgotten memories of my love for his books which I am very grateful for and will definitely find time to reread them, maybe even read this poem. Aside from that, it is very endearing to see how much this quote means to you. The complexities of love are truly thought-provoking. Thank you for sharing!

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  6. Yunshan LiApril 13, 2022 at 4:50 PM

    Hi Winter! I have never read the Letters to Beatrice by Lemony Snicket, but it seems like a beautiful poem. The line that you included from the poem is super powerful and really emphasizes the power of love that goes beyond the passing of time and the fading of memories. The quote expresses a super-strong sense of love that is deep and never-ending. This line makes me wonder whether I will be able to love someone who I once loved, but can not remember anymore. As you said, the thought of forgetting someone that means so much to me is scary; that is the reason why I like journaling and noting my thoughts down so I can look back on them. Thank you for sharing!

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  7. HanyiApril 13, 2022 at 6:42 PM

    Hey Winter, this excerpt of poetry from Lemony Snicket's Letters to Beatrice really demonstrates a deep understanding of love. From this excerpt, he seems to be portraying an attitude of eternal love, and that is a trait I really admire from him. His deep words are truly lovely, and I will definitely be on the lookout for more of his works in the future. Thank you for sharing such an insightful dive into the meaning of love, and I look forward to hearing more from you in the future.

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  8. Shrinithi SathiyaseelanApril 13, 2022 at 9:07 PM

    Hi Winter! This sounds like a gorgeous and absolutely touching poem. The quote you emphasized really gives me the feeling of an eternal love, continuing to love someone even after they are not with you any more. Although we may forget people's faces over the years, the things they did and how they made us feel will stay with us much longer. Loving someone with the same intensity as before, even if you do not remember them, is a little scary to think about. However, it is beautiful to think of how we are designed to receive love and love others. It is both a haunting yet lovely thought, as love can often be.

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  9. Kristine DangApril 13, 2022 at 9:40 PM

    Hi Winter, I agree that the saying that someone’s memory is covered by fog is very interesting because it makes it seem like the memories are still there but are just disoriented or in bits and pieces. It also reminds me of how clouds sometimes cover the sun. Sometimes our memories can not be retrieved, but when we see things that remind us of them, the clouds or fog disappear and we remember again. I think this can also be related to love, where misunderstandings or arguments get in the way of one's happiness. Thank you for sharing, I thought your blog was very interesting!

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