Miranda is sent a letter
  But it's intercepted
    By her sister

She burns it
  Out of compassion (or just passion)
    For the boy who sent it

Sound familiar?
  I'm sure you've heard this one before.
    Let's try another.

Two strangers chance to meet
  On a crowded street
    They smile

They stop and chat a while
  And when the evening ends
    They part as more than friends

They set a date to meet again
  But when it comes around
    One of them forgets the time (and place)

How sad, you think, and yes how trite.
  But then again it's hard to write
    Completely new ideas.

These tropes are key
  To some of the
    Greatest Novels.

But that was then--
  What are contemporary writers to do?
    In this world of cell phones and the internet.

Miranda gets a text
  And she runs off with Leo
    They live happily ever after

The strangers find each other online
  And arrange a new meeting
    They live happily ever after

Sure, it's great to make lives better and people happier.
  But isn't it a little sad for novels?
    To see the death of age-old conflicts.