Dear Cursive,

I know you've been feeling neglected as of late. Fewer and fewer teachers bother to introduce you to their second grade classes these days. People are saying that you're obsolete. They turn up their noses at you and confidently declare, "Word processing killed cursive. We shouldn't be struggling to read somebody's messy handwriting anymore."

Others mourn you like someone who is already dead. Nostalgic and despondent, these old souls are left to wonder what happened and ponder if you'll eke out another decade or two before leaving us forever. I say preserving a unique and beautiful art like you is worthwhile. Cursive isn't dead yet. Sure, maybe you're obsolete, exclusive and outdated. Nobody's perfect.

There's something undeniably personal about cursive. You encourage us to add our own flare and develop our own style. Perhaps reading print everyday in books, on our phones or on anything official, you seem more special.

That's not to say you're somehow better than print. Don't get a big head. I wouldn't want to fill out a tax form with all the instructions in some bureaucrat's spidery script. I understand that you're hard on the lefties when you smudge and smear all over the page.

I want you to understand something though: You're pretty fantastic in more ways than one. In some respects, cursive remains a necessity. People need cursive for papers and contracts of all kinds. Once upon a time, a person's unique signature helped avoid identity theft. It still is useful today in court when forged checks become a problem. Cursive, you're still practical (to some degree, anyways).

See, you're good for taking notes. Unless someone is truly dedicated to writing in print, cursive is the best option for taking notes in class or meetings. To those who didn't meet you in kindergarten like me, print is quick and easy. Personally, print drags. It wastes time, picking up the pencil half a dozen times or more in a single word. Cursive, you make things easier. Cursive glides from letter to letter with skips only from word to word.

Moreover, you've helped me through hard times. There's no cure for writer's block. The best thing the afflicted writer can do is try something different. Attack an argument in a term paper from another direction. Switch perspectives in a story to another character. For me, changing something is a simple as switching from typing to cursive to print and back again. Writing can be a very sensorial act, and you've helped me push through some of the blankest pages.

Cursive, you exploit my weaknesses, and I can't be bothered to even be annoyed at you. A bookstore is a dangerous place for a bibliophile with an empty wallet, but even Walmart's stationary section becomes trouble because of you. I'm a bookshelf porn aficionado and utterly notebook obsessed. That's expensive enough, but loving cursive makes me a reluctant pen snob. Keep ballpoint pens away from me. Nice colored gel pens? I'll take them for print and leave them for cursive. There's nothing like an overpriced rollerball pen for cursive, except fountain pens which are a danger I dare not approach because of you.

Cursive, you're too good to me. Even with all your weaknesses, I still like you. Even when my wrist hurts and my handwriting looks like crap, people think it's beautiful, and that's all you.

Love,

A friend