Why do you have to be so judgmental?
Nitpicking my every move.
Sticking labels on everything I do.
Good times.
Bad times.
Times I wasn’t ready.
You followed me through life,
from young to old.
Inexperienced to experienced.
Though I may have tried to run,
you always followed.
Though I may have tried to hide,
you always found me.
I grew accustomed to your presence,
Always depicting who I was.
Deciding where I went,
Deciding who I was to become,
Taking my life out from under me.
The power in a few small letters,
the strength in a few small marks.
The ability to change emotions,
the turmoil so easily made.
Throughout life you became my companion,
I strived to make you better.
To make you show how I truly am.
To end the unfairness you had laid on me.
Now, years later, you have become my friend,
a viewpoint into my past.
A remembrance of the good,
A flashback to the bad.
Dear letter of black and blue,
and sometimes red,
You have made me, me.
You have given me motivation.
You have given me despair.
You have given me strength.
You have given me desire.
You have haunted my past,
You have questioned my present,
You have teased my future.
You have impacted my world.
So why, dear letter, do you continue to roam?
Isn’t it time to go pack your bags?
Go into hiding,
Under forests of dust,
Under fields of paper,
Under blankets of darkness.
Oh letter of mine,
Dear letter of mine,
It is time.
Grades
by Isabelle Whiteside
Photo: Broken Home by Corvid Photography