A moral question

A few days ago, a letter was misdelivered to 22nd street, instead of 122nd – the address on the envelope. We highlighted the correct address line and put it back in the post. On Friday, it came back.

The envelope wasn’t stuck down, and I could see that there was a handwritten letter inside of at least three pages.

Would you read it? The contents would probably be inconsequential. They could also be an insight into a random person’s life. Who writes letters anyway?

What makes this a little more interesting is that return address written on the envelope is to a prison in a southern state. The prisoner was required to add their prisoner number to the address. There was also a inked stamp on the back from the prison. ‘The contents of this letter have not been censored, so the prison board do not take responsibility for the contents.’

Would you read it?

It’s inspired an idea for a short film: A famous poet is stuck for inspiration. Suddenly he recevies a misdirected letter from a prisoner to a loved one. It contains a heartfelt poem that the poet takes and claims as his own. Each time a letter arrives, the writer steals it. These poems are successful enough to make the poet even more famous. It turns out that the poems are a series of clues being written by a bank robber to inform an uncaptured confederate where the money they stole can be found*. The irony is that the money was hidden in the poet’s home while the criminal was on the run…

So it isn’t worked out properly; I’ve only just come up with the idea!

*Sorry for the many ideas jammed into that single sentence!