Dear Virgo,

[The text below was written on plain paper with cursive handwriting which makes it a bit messy, but still readable.]

To my dearest Virgo,

You stand so powerfully alone.

Every time I turn in your direction, you stand tall. Immovable. Powerful.

I’ve always admired that.

Nothing ever fazes you. Ha, even if something does, you dissect it into digestible pieces anyway. I remember that whenever I come to you with something complicated, you somehow manage to disentangle the strings and unravel more meaning into this complication. This was the first moment where I know I will stand by your side for a long time.

You have a love-hate relationship with complicated things, despite being good at ironing them out. I laughed at you when you said this because I know you love puzzles, but you don’t like messy, emotionally driven puzzles. You dislike high maintenance people because you think they make problems longer to solve.

Yet, despite your sour attitude towards those people, I know your soft heart wins at the end of the day.

Because I watched you sit with these types of people on hours end. You sit so patiently, body leaning towards them, nodding and drowning in every word they say. Your expression never once turn sour when you’re cut off, but you pause and embrace them. When the sun sets, your heart remains soft.

For all the years I’ve known you, your hands have never been short when I’m in need. Your hands, despite their meticulous look, hide callouses and scars that people don’t see. Even when others think you’re haughty, they didn’t get to see the helping hand that extended above and beyond to others. When I ask why you hide them, you tell me that it’s never your story to tell. I respected that.

Through the years, I’ve witnessed your life.

I’ve witnessed the way you react when everything around you crumbles, the way you shrivelled and died on your knees. I’ve witnessed the way you rise up again, the way you build a small pedestal for your foundation. Rinse and repeat. Rinse and repeat. Rinse and repeat.

Without both of us realising, your pedestal has turned into a platform.

I know you heard the whispers. I can see the way your hands clench and the invisible trembles in your shoulders. You stand tall anyway because you know no one pays attention to these small details. Not even the closest to you does.

I’ve watched you on that platform for years, and not even once you used that platform to abuse the trust given to you. You never genuinely stand on that platform for boasting or self-promotion. You hate attention, but you stand there anyway because you know that’s the best place to help those in need. Oh, and also, the best place to exercise your authority when there’s shit to be done. Hahaha!

In the beginning, I don’t understand why you need that pedestal. I’ve heard whispers enclosed with thorns thrown at you, and yes, you bleed. You bleed so much. I was so afraid that you would die at some point.

Yet you stand. Proudly.

You stand proudly with your scars, but your hands are no longer clenched, nor your shoulders trembled.

You stand on your platform with a smile. Your eyes shine with joy and kindness. Your lips pour humour and tickle laughter into people’s bellies. Your hands are ever strong, still nursing people into wholeness.

My dearest Virgo, I finally understand why you built that pedestal from the start.

When I have a look at what’s underneath, I know why you want to hide it.

If your meticulous hands hide warmth underneath, your platform hides your vulnerability. And what a sacred place that is.

One can count themselves lucky to be a firsthand witness underneath your cold exterior. I know you didn’t hide it intentionally; it’s always one circumstance after another, isn’t it? Someone is always there to outshine you, so you’d rather keep yourself humble and celebrate that other person, don’t you? Sometimes the time’s just not right, so you sealed your lips tight and never speak of it ever again.

My dearest Virgo, I hope you know that you’re never meant to hide your beautiful self underneath that platform.

You are certainly one of a kind, my beloved Virgo. Even when it takes time for you to find a group of friends who love you the way you are, please have faith that you will. Even if it does take time for someone to love you wholeheartedly, don’t lose heart that someone is going to. Even when life is hard and you’re more than ready to give up, know that the universe stands by your side.

Even when you can’t see the sun, it never left you. The bright moon can testify for you as the twilight stars drum their song through the dark sky. Even when your soul is in pieces, the planets delicately put the pieces back together in time. Even when your body fails you, the soil sings hallelujah for your healing.

You are never alone, Virgo.

Signed,

Your Star Sign

[The italicised text was written on the back of the paper.]

My beautiful Virgo,

Thank you for letting me be a witness to this blossoming life. What an absolute honour it has been to read through the beauty of my own sign. You speak so beautifully into someone’s life, and what a testament it is to the depth of your soul.

Despite the hardship in life, I hope one day, when the sun and the planets align again, I’ll be able to live long enough to walk through the beautiful promises that you wrote out to me.

Virgo, thank you for being a loyal friend even unto death. Knowing who you are and what you’ve been in my life has been a source of comfort for my short life. May your words permeate to other Virgoans, lifting their confidence and letting them know that they’re beloved.

Love,

An Author Born Under Virgo