In this week of celebration of the poetry of the 90-year-old Rhina Espaillat — a celebration The New York Sun began 72 years ago with a 1950 article titled “Teen-age Poet Wins Honors” — we turn to an example of her comic touch with “Undelivered Mail.” Every Wednesday, the Sun’s “Poem of the Day” features something a little light, something a little humorous. And in “Undelivered Mail,” Ms. Espaillat conjures up a set of letters no one ever sent and no one ever received. “Dear Mom,” the last one reads, “You were right about everything / and I was an idiot not to listen.”

Undelivered Mail 
by Rhina P. Espaillat

Dear Daughter,
  Your father and I wish to commend you
  on the wisdom of your choices
  and the flawless conduct of your life

Dear Poet!
  Where is the full-length manuscript
  you promised us? Your check is waiting
  The presses are ready
  and the bookstores are clamoring for delivery

Darling,
  This convention is tedious
  beyond belief: the hotel is swarming
  with disgustingly overexposed women
  far too young to have dignity
  or any minds at all

Dear Patient:
  The results of your blood tests reveal
  that your problem stems from
  a diet dangerously low
  in pizza and chocolate

Dear Mom,
  You were right about everything
  and I was an idiot not to listen

___________________________________________ 

With “Poem of the Day,” The New York Sun offers a daily portion of verse selected by Joseph Bottum with the help of the North Carolina poet Sally Thomas, the Sun’s associate poetry editor. Tied to the day, or the season, or just individual taste, the poems will be typically drawn from the lesser-known portion of the history of English verse. In the coming months we will be reaching out to contemporary poets for examples of current, primarily formalist work, to show that poetry can still serve as a delight to the ear, an instruction to the mind, and a tonic for the soul.