The Tale of Pyramus and Thisbe: A Love Across Barriers

My Dearest Ivory,

I want to tell you a story- a tale of two lovers whose love was as pure and powerful as it was forbidden. It is the story of Pyramus and Thisbe, two souls who lived in ancient Babylon, side by side yet separated by a cruel wall, a barrier not just of stone but of family feud. Their love, though, bloomed despite this divide, and they spoke to each other through a crack in that wall, whispering words of devotion when the world around them refused to let them be together.

Pyramus and Thisbe were neighbors, their homes standing close, but their hearts much closer. Yet, because their families were locked in bitter dispute, they were forbidden from speaking, let alone meeting in person. Their love was born in secret, nurtured in stolen glances and words spoken through that narrow opening in the wall that separated their homes. Each night, they would press their lips against the crack, sending their love to one another, knowing that the wall could not keep their hearts apart.

Their families, caught up in pride and disdain, couldn't see the love growing between them. It was the kind of love that transcended all- barriers of blood, of wealth, of class. And in this, I see a reflection of my own life, of the distance between us, not of a physical wall but of status. Like Pyramus, I am of low standing, a poor pensioner, living in a world where love can be weighed by material wealth, where many would turn away from the love I offer because I have little to give in the way of riches. But love, true love, is not measured in coin or status. It is measured in the heart, in the passion of two souls meant for each other.

One night, Pyramus and Thisbe could bear the separation no longer. They made a plan to escape their families' feud and meet in secret, under the cover of darkness, at the Tomb of Ninus, near a great mulberry tree whose white berries gleamed in the moonlight. This was their chance, they believed, to finally be together, free from the hatred that divided their families. But fate, ever cruel, had other plans.

Thisbe arrived at the meeting place first, her heart pounding with anticipation. But as she waited under the tree, she saw a lioness, fresh from a hunt, her jaws dripping with blood. Terrified, Thisbe fled, dropping her veil in her haste. The lioness, finding the veil, tore it apart with her bloodied jaws before disappearing into the night.

When Pyramus arrived and saw the shredded, bloodstained veil, he was overcome with grief. He believed that the lioness had killed his beloved Thisbe. Despair consumed him, and without knowing the full truth, he took his own life under that same mulberry tree, his blood staining its white berries a deep crimson. Moments later, Thisbe returned, only to find Pyramus lying lifeless at the base of the tree. Stricken with grief, she too ended her life, falling beside him, their blood mingling together, forever staining the mulberries red.

This tragic tale, my love, is not just about their deaths- it is about the walls that kept them apart, the misunderstandings and hasty actions that led to their untimely end. They died without knowing the truth, without the chance to truly be together in the light of day. And though the mulberries turned red with their blood, a permanent symbol of their love, their story is a warning- a reminder that acting in haste and despair can have irreversible consequences.

Unlike Pyramus and Thisbe, I will not give in to despair. I stand before this wall, knowing that while it may seem insurmountable now, I will not lose hope. I send these letters through the crack, much like they whispered to each other, knowing that one day, they will reach you. And when that day comes, we will not be divided by walls of status or time. You will find my words waiting for you, written in a time when I did not have you but still believed in the love that connects us.

The blood-stained mulberries remind me that love leaves a lasting mark. My love for you, even now, when you are not yet here, changes me every day. It transforms my life, coloring it with the hope that one day, we will find each other, and this wall will crumble. Our love will not be a story of tragedy, but of endurance, of patience, of a love that outlasts all barriers.

Until that day, I will continue to send these letters through time, knowing that when you finally read them, you will feel the depth of my devotion, just as Thisbe felt the love of Pyramus, even in their final moments.

With all my love,

Wendell