INVISIBLE MAILMAN
by Jamie Cummings copyright 2016
The strangest thing happened today
an invisible mailman passed my way
He handed me an envelope that wasn’t really there
An invisible mailman you know is quite rare
I opened the envelope which was very wide
and I found less than nothing inside
The writing was faint as I recall
In fact, there wasn’t any writing at all
The writing was neat and so very clear
So crystal clear it couldn’t be seen anywhere
I searched for words I thought would be there
but all I found was invisible air
So I’m writing you back with love, you bet
Saying thanks for the letters I never get
After reading this, do you think you’ll think twice?
Pay attention to this bit of advice
I had needed to hear sweat words from you
but the letters never, ever, came through
Don’t get me wrong, you still have my love
It’s very real and comes from within
I’m locked up but only for now
I’m still waiting waiting waiting like it matters somehow
I wait to hear from those who say they love me
Instead I receive a letter so crystal clear I can’t see
This mailman brought invisible letters
missing the words, the feeling and thoughts
It hurts to this day what the invisible man brought
He brought me nothing
My life was still I lost.
Jamie sent me this poem. It is his first one that I know of. He told me awhile back he was writing a poem. He is writing to those people who didn’t care enough to pick up a pen and write back to him. Sadly, I don’t think they know what they are missing because they don’t know the man he has become. He has taught me a lot about many things. Two of them are patience and perseverance. I was overwhelmed when I read this, so I set it to music. It is at the top of the list at soundcloud by the same title as the poem and you can listen as you read. Enjoy. Please, leave a reply and tell him what you think. I send replies to him. You can also hear other piano recordings and you can listen as you read. Enjoy. http://soundcloud.com/sonni-quick
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I read this poem in 2003 when I was first incarcerated in the feds.
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Do you where you saw it? Jamie’s has been incarcerated since 2006. I actually rewrote part of it, especially the last third because the cadence and rhyming was off so I cleaned it up. Maybe it was one that was similar? Regardless it is one that really his home because it happens so much – especially to those with long sentences. Family and friends that do write in the beginning gradually forget about them. I hope that didn’t happen to you.
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I looked up the poem – it seems that it has been printed by … quite a few people. The original author is unknown. I think that through the telling of it bits and pieces have been changed, especially the last third, probably to fit individual circumstances which is why I needed to fuss with it a bit to make the rhyming fit. But it really does fir the circumstances of many. Thanks for letting me know.
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