You are proof that kindness can come from the meanest of environments, and your kindness speaks volumes. The imagery of you hugging and caring for your younger self is so powerful, and we all need to learn from your example. Thank you for sharing!

Your compassion for your younger self is moving. Being a kid, you feel the whole world is on your shoulders. Most success stories focus on people overworking themselves while young, instead of enjoying life and finding deeper meaning that way. Yours is a story of real, true success! Thank you for sharing!

You wrote this beautifully! I love how you changed the perspective the inevitability of the future to something positive. The future is a gift, and we should cherish that! I especially love the line, “If the sky’s the limit, the clouds are just a checkpoint,” because of the subversion of the “sad cloudy days” trope. Thank you for sharing!

The way you write about faith and purpose is so beautiful! It is inspiring how you write about moving away from negative thinking, and how your faith helped you make that change. Our lowest moments teach us the most about ourselves. Thank you for sharing!

Life is so mysterious sometimes. I wonder what you meant when you said “be a diplomat.” There really is no rulebook, but we all seem to make it out okay in the end. Thank you for sharing.

Yea and another thing, I like how you talk about your strength and flexibility, because those are two of the cornerstones of wellness! So many layers!

I really enjoy how you included these questions, because life feels like a series of questions, and we spend our lives trying to find the answers. Love is that answer, and it is our most powerful healer. I’m glad you highlighted that fact in your writing. Thank you for sharing!

Life challenges strengthen us and make us braver. I love how you included the rhyme as if it’s something you’d say to a child just before bed — especially in the line, “Whatever challenges that you are facing you’ll later realize are worth embracing.” Very lyrical and profound! Your writing asks us to take a more accepting approach. Thank you for sharing!

I love your emphasis on sensation like when you mention the warmth of your skin and the smell of sage! And then, the line “Loosen your jaw there’s not a flaw it’s not who you are,” is so poetic. Why do you believe “promises aren’t meant to be kept?” Thank you for sharing!

I’m sorry the world put so many pressures on you when you were young. You deserved a childhood and a family that protected and supported you. You have carved out a space in this world to exist for yourself, and that is admirable and inspiring. Thank you for sharing your story.

Your writing made me realize that our younger selves are responsible for the person we are today, and we should be thankful to our younger selves. Your grace toward the world despite all the challenges it brings you is extremely inspiring. I believe the more we love ourselves, the more we love the rest of the world, and your story is a perfect example. Thank you for sharing!

I love how you write about your positive experiences in this reassuring way, because I know we as humans tend to worry so much about the future. The Your poem shows that you have come so far and had many great experiences despite that initial fear. I also love that you included the rhyme scheme in this poem. Thank you for sharing!

I love the tone shift in your writing: the first half reflects the difficulties you overcome in the second half. You found your humanity even though it was stripped from you! Your perspective is so important! So many people demonize and dehumanize the formerly incarcerated, but your story is proof your existence matters!

The idea that we’re “mosaics of everyone we’ve met” is so important and powerful. Our connections, however long or short, are vital to our identities. We don’t exist as complete individuals separate from those around us. Speaking of yourself as a gift is a strong indicator of your confidence and self-appreciation. Thank you for sharing!

The line, “Just like the lions know their place in life,” is a great line because it exudes confidence. We can learn so much about the ourselves around us if we learn from nature and the world around us. I wonder what young man you’re writing about. The fact it seems you are addressing someone else is intriguing! Thank you for sharing.

That introduction is so prophetic and well written! “Chasm of time” is such a perfect way to describe that separation between the present and the past. So many sentences and phrases in this are pure poetry! There is an element of self-appreciation here: you assign parts of yourself to some of the most beautiful parts of nature, and it works so well to beautify your experiences. The stars as representations of secrets is a genius metaphor! Thank you for sharing!

It’s hard to be funny through writing, but you did a great job. Those first two lines had me hooked! It takes a high level of wisdom and emotional flexibility to find peace when things don’t go as planned. Those last two lines are so warm and sweet! Thank you for sharing!

Life seems to move so much faster as we get older, and your poem does a great job of instructing us all to slow down and appreciate the smaller moments. We tend to not give ourselves enough credit for our smaller victories, and it is very wise of you to remind yourself and all of us to take the time to congratulate ourselves on the “simple things.” Thank you for sharing!

I appreciate your view on what you were supposed to know when you were young. As children, a lot of us tended to imagine what it would be like to grow up without fully understanding what growing older entailed; we didn’t understand the vast number of responsibilities and nuances of adulthood, and we had a very limited view of what life really was. Your poem does a great job of focusing on the parts of childhood that matter. That last line is a really sweet ending note.

The idea of self-trust is so important when it comes to finding your peace and happiness. The future is so uncertain and fickle, but you stand strong and brave despite it all. I love that you included rhyme in your poem; it gives the poem a flow. Thank you for sharing!