[p o e t r y]

Dear Highschool Me

Dear High school Me, 

I wish someone
Would have told me
What I'm telling you now:
The ACT doesn't make you smart
After high school
No one cares if you got a 25
Or a 17
Or a 32
In college, you're all on the same playing field
I got into honors with a 25
I wasn't supposed to
But I did
And I'm just as smart
As the 32s and the 33s
I do more than hold my own

Money doesn't matter if the job
Will make you miserable
It's better to be
A starving artist
Than a miserable CEO
Drop the business major.
Be a photographer.

You're good enough to try
You don't have to be the best
It's okay to grow
Pick up the camera
Go to the shoot
Take some pictures
In a year you'll be shooting weddings

You don't have to do all the reading
To be good enough
Skip the textbook
Go get donuts at 1am
Screw it and do it sometimes

Your parents are your best friends
Freshman year?
It'll be hard
But you'll grow
And they'll grow
Your relationship will change
But soon enough
You'll find yourself
Calling your mom
To ask how to do laundry
And running to tell her
"Omg he kissed me"
Your parents are a Godsend
Love them
Communicate
Don't cut them off in college

Most of all,
It gets better
High school sucks sometimes
But life won't suck forever
Don't doubt yourself too much
It's going to be okay
Just keep going

(12/03/21)