i.

You will have to forgive me
for burning all the stamps
but I wanted to be the one
to send this letter.

A year ago, or two or three,
you wouldn’t have forgiven me,
and now I’m not quite sure, but
you will have to forgive me anyway,
because you will have no choice.
I have burnt all the stamps.

---

ii.

If I could go back and stop myself
I probably would. I know,
I know, I know. Time travel rarely works
in the ways you want it to. We have talked
about that before.
It doesn’t stop the romantic sense of erasure
   of not even needing forgiveness.

---

iii.

I hope you’re doing well when you find this,
really, I sincerely do. Even if I don’t
fully believe myself when I say it. Even if
I only half-wish. Even if the hope doesn’t take.

---

iv.

Did you know the guy who discovered penicillin by accident
didn’t create the drug? Mom told me that. A team of people
had to come and concentrate it enough that it could be used
as an antibiotic. What I mean to say is you don’t need to carry it alone, even if you want to.