This is an open letter
to those whose egg shell chest
cracks
under the pressure
of their breath
breathing down borrowed air
like they aren’t worth
the photosynthesized miracle
of carbon and oxygen
This is an open letter
to those whose sense
of “this is who I am”
is up for grabs
at the hands of too many
unsecured moments
and people
fluttering in and out of their lives
like migratory birds
or rainy seasons
This is an open letter
to those whose childhood was marked
by the mental health of their parents
whose ability to survive
relied on accommodations
they made to another’s mind
like
feeling out a form in the dark,
and learning
how to dance with it
This is an open letter
to those whose bridges
never felt sturdy enough
who never learned to take the chance
to walk across
even our most dilapidated
of structures.
This is an open letter to those
who do not see themselves
in what they find beautiful
and what they find beautiful
as a testament
to their incapable self.
This is an open letter to those
whose time is marked
by time spent with others
their saviors, their people
Who love them
despite their silence
Who love them
despite their noise
Who love them
despite their broken bridges
and dances with dead memories
Who love them
despite their incessant conviction
that they were never good enough.
This is an open letter
to those whose resonation
with these words
calls on them
to hear me say
Dear self
you are enough
Dear self
your doubt makes you beautiful
your story makes you strong
Dear self
your story also has retractable limbs
and surfaces
it can be dismantled
and
reconstructed
at any moment.
Dear self
you are like horseshoe crab
who grows her crustaceous frame from within
until the outer shell cracks
and her new body breaches the surface
breathing
new life into her
ancient
metamorphosing
inner place
of wisdom
Dear self
This is your magic too
—Emma Miles
“. . . I’m currently a Junior at Green Mountain College, joining my interests, passions, and studies to form my own major centered around wholehearted human beingness. Some of these strands include food systems, gardening, spoken word, dream work, community development, mindfulness, and self reconciliation.” contact: emma.miles@greenmtn.edu