Poem: The Letter

 “People are afraid of themselves, of their own reality -- their feelings most of all. People talk about how great love is, but that's bullshit.

 Love hurts. Feelings are disturbing. People are taught that pain is evil and dangerous. How can they deal with love if they're afraid to feel? 

 Pain is meant to wake us up. People try to hide their pain. But they're wrong. Pain is something to carry, like a radio. You feel your strength in the experience of pain. It's all in how you carry it. That's what matters. Pain is a feeling.  Your feelings are a part of you, your own reality. 

 If you feel ashamed of feelings, and hide them, you're letting society destroy your reality. You should stand up for your right to feel your pain.” ~Jim Morrison

The Letter
by CJ Heck

Wading through
morning's harvest
of the mail
reaped the usual
bills,
flyers
and junk ads.
Then I spotted
the familiar
lazy scrawl
on the table
before me.
After all
these years,
a pearl among
the cow pies.
I marveled
at how the
letter felt,
tucked into
the pocket
of my
blue jeans,
first halved,
then quartered,
where misbehaving
hands and mind
could breach the
ceremonial rules of:
Do Not Touch
and:
Do Not Want
To Open.
I was unable
to ignore it
or throw it away.
I'm not sure
how long
I walked around
with it there
in my pocket.
I do know
it began
to burn
and blister
and it scorched
my self-control.
It wasn't
until I saw
the jeans
in the washer,
letter and all,
twisting and
turning in
the soapy water
that I was
even aware
of what I'd done
to find
some peace
at last.


[From the Book, "Anatomy of a Poet", by C.J. Heck]


"A writer soon learns that easy to read is hard to write." ~CJ Heck