There’s a red canvas tote on the bottom shelf of my bookcase.  I pull it out every week or so, removing sheets of beautiful stationary – one a pastel sunset on the ocean, another bordered by colorful flowers.  I return them to the tote devoid of words.  Sometimes I’ll pull out one of my pressed flower note cards, remembering the day my grandma gave them to me.  I consider returning the favor by writing a little note – the “thank you” note is already four years late, after all – but inevitably return it to the box. 

It’s not that I haven’t the time to write… I just fear I haven’t words fit to grace these pages. 

I’ve often caved in to the allure of plain notebook paper, knowing the simple lines don’t expect much.  A simple “Hello, how are you?” perhaps or even a concise “LOVE YOU! XOXO, Emily” would not be out of place here. 

But my words would disappear in the shadow of my prized stationary.  This is no place for awkward prose and sloppy handwriting.

As a child, I dreamed of my future as a best-selling author.  But today I cannot seem to make that leap onto the blank page; my steps into the great lake of literature become more hesitant every day.  I find that I am more and more reluctant to exercise my talents, and I can only hypothesize as to why.  Did my brothers’ constant teasing sow the seeds in my childhood which have bloomed into fears of inadequacy?  Are lingering pubescent hormones to blame?

I attempt to steer clear of the self-deprecation, but my driving skills have never been very impressive.  At the request of a friend, I tackle the task of writing a short riddle in meter…it ends fourteen lines later. 

The literary laryngitis I’d self-diagnosed appears to be responding to the authorial antibiotics.  “Expected to make a full recovery, provided medication is continued,” signs the doctor.  Behind the words, I can see a pastel sunset…

1. Where do you feel I should expand my thoughts?
Why can't words grace pages?

2. Do you have any ideas to improve the segue between my self-deprecation and the riddle?
Maybe stream of consciousness

3. Do you feel there is a better way to link letter writing to creative writing (i.e. refer to historical letters)? Is it necessary?

4. Please help me sort out my metaphors (water, planting, driving).  Or do you feel that this mix of ideas helps to convey my scrambled mental state?

5. Should I spend more time dwelling on the memories attached to the stationary? Or maybe maximize my discussion of goals set aside due to insecurities?
Sure...since "artifact."

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The "request of a friend" is like bestowing a map.