The Moment I Stopped Hating Myself

Dear Past Self,

before you give up,

look at yourself in the mirror without the illusion of time

Look as if the distance between us could be counted in fading scars,

not seconds

Before you abandon hope,

remember that being enough,

has less to do with who you are,

and more with who you could be

Before you give in to the voices in your head,

I need to tell you that your ideas will never silence

So try to reshape them,

let them radiate through you

Before you become bitter with people,

Understand that loneliness is nothing compared to unshared happiness

The world is full of beautiful people in the most unexpected ways,

so learn to trust them

Sometimes

I wish you could see yourself through my eyes

And then I realize that you will

For now, stare into the mirror in front of you

as if you could realize that imperfection is another human construct

And if you still want to give up

If you still want to give in to those voices

if you still go to bed hoping that you will never wake up

Place your hand on your heart and feel the blood inside of us

Let each breath carry you into the future until we become one

I assure you, it gets better

And even if you disagree with me,

keep in mind that

I will always be proud of you