Letting them burn

Siting on the edge of the river
with my feet hanging over the ledge,
I watch the current bubble and twist
and it quickly wash things out of sight,
smiling I relax and let the sounds sweep through me.

Closing my eyes I let the breeze play across my face
then turn and pull the stack of letters out of my bag,
I take a lighter out of it too
and flick it so it comes to life.

Caught by the flicker and light of the flame
I stare at it for a while hypnotized by its light
then I take the first letter from the stack,
looking at it I can't help but smile
as I catch the corner of it on fire.

Watching the paper and the words written on it
burn into nonexistence,
I sigh happily as it quickly disappears
and I finally feel a measure of peace.

These letters once meant the world to me
and had my heart poured into them,
its no longer me and that's no longer my life,
I no longer need a written reminder
or the emotions that were on those pages.

Another one burns into ashes
and I toss the ashes into the river,
watching them drift away then disappear
and I feel quite a nice satisfaction
as I let another part of my past go.

It may sound like a little thing,
this burning of a few simple letters,
but to me it's a sign of releasing it all,
not looking back but walking forward,
finally letting it all go.

The last one burns down to nothing
and I toss the ashes to the wind,
smiling happily to myself
I finally say goodbye to the memories
and release them to the wind.