A Poem

I opened the box in front of me and discovered
A bundle of memories wrapped in a ribbon

Stored away long ago to be preserved
I didn’t know her to be overly sentimental
But here they are

The letters that were written
Some never to be seen by the named recipient
Some so raw that the words hurt even now

I let the ribbon fall away from the paper
My fingers tracing the familiar script
Her handwriting taught to her by her mother
And reinforced by teachers
Back when handwriting and cursive were still important teachings
Before technology took over
Back when letter writing was common practice

And the only way people found out the real stories
About what their family and friends were experiencing in far off lands
Or even just a short distance away

Because sometimes writing the words would be easier

Than saying them out loud
There is emotion in a letter
That you might never see in a Twitter tweet or Facebook post
Because you can write it freely
And then never mail it
But the words have been sent into the universe
Through the very nature of holding a pen and letting the words flow

I read through the pages in my hand, feeling her emotions
As the words are pulled from the past
Remembering those times she has written about
Feeling her pain
Remembering her joy
I read every one