In/Box

The Letters

In bundles I remove them
Averting my eyes from their dates
That confirm years of
Absence, Abstinence, Avoidance, and Anger

Most are demanding
Seeking what I don’t have or
Desire to obtain

Some are a softer Ask
A re-positioning of psychology

A handful have something to give
Something I know will later become
A demand should I accept

I hold those pieces in my hand
Delicately and in tears
Hurting for a handout
A real hand that reaches out

I return all the pieces to the box
They’d slept in for so long
Knowing that one day I would
End up the same 

Too heavy for current day
Postage rates
Too hard for soft realities, and
Too soft to be held