how 'bout that unrequited love: "but will you let me?"

"um, thanks for that proclamation of undying love"

The other night my room-mate and I were sitting around and sharing stories about cringe-inducing confessions of undying (and most definitely unrequited) love. The affliction of unrequited love is well-documented from the point of view of the lover; but what about that beloved, who is, shall we say, less than impressed? Not to be bitchy (well, maybe a little bit) it's a bit of a hard spot. Maybe this is a friend who you wished was only platonic. Maybe it's a stranger. Maybe it's just awkward. But when someone tells you out of the blue that they love you and always will, it's always a wee bit weird. You don't know quite how to deal; there's nothing to say that a) won't hurt them and b) won't make you seem like a callous bitch. And really, the cruel lady love motif is a hackneyed literary trope that needs to be thrown out like Petrarch's unwashed codpiece. so, I say, beloveds unite! You're not a bad person for not loving someone back, especially when that love letter is soaked in guilt and responsibility,not to mention, terrible, terrible poetry. To help us get through these kinda painfully awkward confessions, we've started up a blog collecting these love-lorn missives. Don't get us wrong; the purpose is not to mock. well, mostly. But these gems need a forum and an audience - a place where we can all get together to smile and cringe our way through these memories. Because we've all had to awkwardly deal with someone's emo heartache. Sometimes all you can do is laugh, share, and maybe die inside just a little.

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

"but will you let me?"

Liz from Nepean shares this letter received from Joe, co-worker she had befriended at the restaurant where she worked. Please note where the would-be lover readily acknowledges that Liz has "many other things to deal with right now," but decides to add to that list by asking her to "please write back"... She didn't, drawing on my favourite tactic for dealing with unrequited lovers... total avoidance.