To a 12-year-old self

You’re still a kid,

at 12, collecting stamps,

trying to play street

football, rolling your eyes

but secretly still enjoying

the circus, riding bikes

(no helmets back then;

stay tuned); reading

so much your parents

are worried. But it’s OK;

they shouldn’t.

Two things it will take

a lifetime to learn, and

when I tell you I’ll get

a funny look in return.

But here goes:

One, it will take you

a long time to learn

confidence, but you will

learn more that those

who always have it.

Two, you will be blessed

with never regretting

a decision, a choice,

because you will look

back and know you

wouldn’t have had it

any other way.

Tweetspeak Poetry has a poetry prompt this week – writing a letter in the form of a poem to your 12-year-old self. What would you say? What advice would you offer? Check Tweetspeak Poetry to see how others are responding.

Portrait of Louis Guillame by Paul Cezanne (1882); National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.