To My Younger Self

Dear Me,

There's a lot that's going to happen.

In short,

It's going to suck real bad and

you'll wish to be dead most of the time.

You'll set up plans and ideas,

thinking of what will happen after the fact,

and the monsters will tempt beyond

any temptation you have ever felt.

The monsters will grow,

and the heartache will be heavier.

It's going to feel like you got dealt

a deck of jokers disguised as aces.

That damn deck of cards.

Despite that,

there'll be good things, too.

There will be medication and friends;

laughter is the best medicine.

You'll still smile,

you'll still carry on.

Despite the marmalade lime,

you'll still manage to feel seafoam at some point.

It'll come in the strangest ways,

but it'll still come.

Memento vivere, young one—

remember that you must live.