Dear fourteen-year-old girl,
With big dreams and stars in her eyes,
Who believes you have your whole life mapped out.
I’m afraid I have some bad news for you…
The world is not as straightforward as you think.
It will break your heart a thousand times over.
You will lose people, you will be disillusioned,
You will be forced to drop those rose-colored glasses
And you will die countless small deaths
And mourn each piece of you that is lost.
And I will disappoint you in so many ways.
But like the vampires in the stories you love so much
You will return from each small death
As something stronger and more powerful
Then you were before.
You will end up in unexpected places
With unexpected people
And you will be the better for it.
This is what growing up is like,
And so I am not sorry for disappointing you.
Change is painful, but it’s necessary
And I promise you, it will be worth it.
With all my love,
You:
A twenty-eight-year-old woman
About the Creator
Kelsey Clarey
She/Her/Fae/Faer. I live in Nova Scotia, Canada. I mostly write poetry and flash fiction currently, a lot of it fantasy/folklore/fairy tale inspired. I also like to do a lot of fiber arts and design TTRPGs.
https://linktr.ee/islanderscaper
Reader insights
Nice work
Very well written. Keep up the good work!
Top insights
Heartfelt and relatable
The story invoked strong personal emotions
On-point and relevant
Writing reflected the title & theme



Comments (6)
I absolutely adore this poem! It is so loving and kind to your younger self, but full of important warning and foresight! So well done! 🩷🩷🩷
This is very true. You have inspired me to write a letter to my younger self
This was so very insightful and filled with truth. What I have seen and experienced in my 64 years would make a great letter to my 28 year old self. We never stop going through changes, hurt, growth, and sorrow. But it is all part of the glorious path of life.
Great words we all need at some point in life 😊
💯 You nailed it! 💪 Great job, seriously! 👌
Eloquent and relatable 😁 I love the idea of coming back from each small death stronger 😁