Dear Older Me - By: Abigail Penney

They’d ask me to write a letter to my older self,

Asking questions, giving reminders.

I thought it was so stupid,

I’d clearly be smarter.

I folded the paper like a promise,

Believing my dreams were a given,

Why would I give advice?

When I knew I’d be so much more wise.

The day came to read it,

I realized the change

I barely recognized the handwriting.

Who wrote those lines?

The ink was now faded,

The paper worn,

Just like my confidence

I destroyed the letter, its now all torn

I wanted to be an astronaut,

I was now a cashier.

My dreams weren’t given,

Was I right to live without fear?

I wrote a letter back,

Feeding it to the flames.

Maybe younger me would receive it,

And soar, growing her wings

Please give a detailed explanation about the meaning and main idea of this poem.

The meaning behind this poem is expectations throughout your life. When you are a child, you believe that the older version of you will achieve all your goals, have everything figured out, and be smarter than you are. But when you reach the age you thought you'd have all the answers, you realize that your younger self somehow knew more than you do now.

Please explain your writing and thought process regarding this poem.

My thought process was to begin with writing that didn't rhyme as well, capturing my younger self. And as time went on, and I grew older throughout the poem, my writing became more structured, with stronger rhymes and more imagery. I really wanted to capture how dreams and expectations shift throughout your life, sometimes ending in defeat. I then decided to add in a more hopeful ending, wanting to show that not attaining the dreams you had for yourself is normal, and that only you have the power to make that change in your thinking.

Why did you choose to write this poem?

I chose to write this poem because as I am trying to decide what I am going to do as my career, and for university, I realize that my child self knew more about myself than I do now. I had everything figured out when I was in elementary school, but as I grew older I realized just how lost and clueless I really was.