Serena Malcolm

Don’t let anyone tread on your dreams;
They’re each graciously worthy of light,
Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t;
Because you can, just as long as you fight.

Stop doubting what lives in your heart;
It knows so much more than your mind,
Stop thinking that emotion is weakness;
There’s great strength in a love of your kind.

Never forget all that living has taught you,
And pay attention – the lessons don’t stop,
Never be ashamed of how much you shine;
You were destined to reach for the top.

Keep dreaming and loving and learning,
Keep your mind open to all that you see,
Keep the pain; you will learn how to shape it,
And become what you hoped you would be.

(P.S. Just some extra advice…
Fret no more about being a geek,
You’ll be surprised just how quickly things change;
Geeks are now quite delectably chic!)

This piece was inspired by a prompt on Pooky’s Poems, where we were encouraged to write poems to our teenage selves.

What was then treated as geekiness, I now proudly call intelligent worldliness, what was then fat, I now say is womanly, what was then hypersensitive I now call altruistic and what was then daydreaming is now ambition.

Everything I hated about myself then I adore now… Isn’t hindsight a b****?