A Note to My Younger Self

A little girl sitting around Christmas lights and drawing next to a lit decorated Christmas tree

By Maria Zuccarini

Dear little girl, I know you are very young

You are so worried about perfect instead of having fun

Your hair is dark and so are your thoughts

Always thinking about what you are not

Stop that talk, stop beating yourself up

Instead try filling those spaces with love

You are beautiful, absolutely gorgeous

And your beauty has nothing to do with size

It is how you spread kindness

With a twinkle in your eyes

I wish someone would have told me so long ago

The best thing you can do is love yourself so

Your own approval is all you need

Darling, please open your eyes and then you will see

That your worth is so much more than a number

You are a miracle so use your voice like thunder

And drown out the voices that put you down

Keep your head up from down on the ground

Lovely girl, I am telling you the things I wish I would have known

That I was never told

So keep these words with you as you grow old

You are beautiful, you are special, and I hope you can see

You remind me of someone I once knew

Someone like me

Maria is 22 years old from Jackson, Missouri. She loves writing and believes that words are a cource of life, and a beautiful gift we are given. This is her first work of poetry to be published.