Box of Memories

by schmetterling   Nov 28, 2020


I came across
a box of memories
dating back over a decade ago.
It breaks my heart
to see the struggles
I wrote about then,
and how much they would evolve
as I got older.
As I read
about how "hard 7th grade is,"
it really put into perspective
how much has changed
since then.
22 year old me
is much different
than 12 year old me,
but that's what happens
when you go through pain--
it ages you.
There's something innocent about
being in middle school
and hating my life and existence
compared to being a full-blown adult
and having the same thoughts
but worse.
It reassures me in a way
that I wasn't just "sad".
I wasn't overreacting.
I had developed severe mental illnesses
and ended up going through shit
I'd never thought I'd have to.
So as I read
the words of a younger me,
I feel bad for
what she didn't see coming.

    report violation
5


Did You Like This Poem?

Latest Comments

  • 3 years ago

    by Poet on the Piano

    Pain can definitely age us... I've come across my own box of memories and realized how different things were then. It's almost jarring, and bittersweet too in a way. That there was innocence in our past and though we have changed and overcome so much now, it can be emotional to process how MUCH we had to grow in order to be where we are today. If only we could warn our past selves... but I hope you are proud of the progress and that, even though no one should have to go through such hardships, you've made it through so much.

    Thank you, as always, for sharing your voice in this. Your poems are always raw and I relate a great deal to them, especially in coming to terms with the hardest parts of our lives and learning how to cope with that.

More Poems By schmetterling

People Who Liked This Also Liked