If you have a hard time conjuring up the words to tell your ex-boyfriend or ex-girlfriend how he/she made you feel, then you need to check out the cards created by the folks at Poison Pen.
The California-based company prides itself on making cards that have the ability to end relationships. For example, one card the company makes has a large red heart on the front. The inside of the card says, "You break it, you pay for it."
"Not everyone has the gumption to send cards like these on their own," says Alan Harris, Poison Pen founder and CEO.
As a result, Poison Pen has started a new service where the company will mail cards through the U.S. Mail anonymously for customers. The receivers of the cards will not know who sent them the message or where the cards came from. All they will know is that someone is not too happy with them.
So now you can feel safe in sending your ex-lover--the one who ripped out your heart--a card that says what you are thinking.
If you are feeling particularly venomous, send them a card that says, "Words fail me" on the front. They'll be shocked to find a graphic of a middle finger on the inside. Tia Parrin, a senior fine arts major, says the Poison Pen Letters seem really funny and put a unique twist on the traditional Hallmark card. Parrin adds that she likes the idea of being able to say "screw you" with a pre-printed card.
They have cards for everything else on the market, it's about time for break-up cards, Parrin says. But, Parrin adds that people would know who sent the card because they have probably been in a fight with the sender recently.
"We pride ourselves on our ability to ease the pain of people who feel they have been hurt or wronged," Harris says. "Poison Pen Letters are funny, but they get to the heart of the matter."
And Harris isn't kidding. One of the Valentine's Day cards the company produces is specifically made to end relationships with significant others. It reads: "You're the one ... The wrong one!"
"It's a pull away from corporate America," Parrin says. "Who says you have to be in love on Valentine's Day? What if your boyfriend cheated on you the day before?"
Parrin says she would definitely send a Poison Pen card, if the occasion called for it--or not.
"As a joke, I might just send it to one of my friends to see what they would do," Parrin says. "I mean, they would never guess it was me."
If you want to let someone know how you really feel, Poison Pen Letters are available online at their web site.
"For quick relief from heartache, sexual frustration or pains in the ass, we'll mail an anonymous Poison Pen Letter for you," the web site boasts.
Cards cost about $3, plus shipping and handling. The site also sells T-shirts.
Reach the reporter at chelsea.ide@asu.edu.
