Letter from Ray Johnson to Lorna Halper, postmark February 24, 1947

Ray Johnson, "Letter from Ray Johnson to Lorna Halper, postmark February 24, 1947". 1947. Pencil on paper; three holed notebook paper. Recto: In pencil mostly in cursive, "SEEKING THE LIGHT - IN / DARKNESS - YEARNING FOR / STUMBLING - AND FINDING / BRINGS JOY / SATURday morning / my dear dear Lorna, / Here I sit in Mary Phelan's study. I am listening / to Bach's first Brandenberg Concerto. I have a / photo of mondrian. I am seeking knowledge with / an open heart - DL Mondrian. I think he is / my SAINT. To me he is showing a way for what / I seek, and listening to BACH. He shows me / too, they were both very religious men. / See what they produced, that religion / must mean something. / I have been [next word 'listen' has been scratched out] talking to Al Brody. / He is really a good fellow Lorna and likes / you very much. He [next word 'was' has been scratched out] wrote a poem and / thought he would send it to you. I / encouraged him to do so. / It is now about three o'clock in the / morning. I try and try to see into / myself, to do what I feel I must / the world to me is so vast and somehow / I must grasp to that which has / real meaning. / The paintings of mondrian. HIS seeing / Bach, HIS hearing, clear. / Out of our confusion, our chaos, / we seek the calm, the orderly. / But we experience both and / they are at opposite poles. We / must experience both in their / fullest meaning. They are / necessary for balance. Is that / what we seek? / The music weaves and weaves / and if you were only here to / witness my joy. / Love / RAY / OH I AM BEGINNING TO SEE, TO / SEE, TO REALLY SEE FOR THE / FIRST TIME. IT IS BAPTISM AND JOY."  
Along the top right edge, "PS IF ONLY ALBERS WERE / here to keep me in my battle. / I must SAY my words to / YOU FOR I FEEL YOU / WILL UNDERSTAND, OH LORNA HEAR / ME / I TRULY SING LIKE A BIRD." Along the left edge of the paper, "CREATION - DAILY EXPERIENCED - / LIFE IS THE RAW MATERIAL FOR / US TO WORK WITH, UNDEFEATABLE, / UNTIRING, CONQUERING, WITH / BANNERS TOWARD LIGHT / AND NOTHINGNESS / PS / LORNA, - I'LL send mondrian to / you - see how he holds his arm at / a right angle. Design. Purpose. / MY SAINT - Perhaps by / sending him I can even / moreso express my happiness / He is a real man / WHO LIVED A / LIFE"