Letter to Myself as a Child

Hello,
You are called by someone else’s name
But, still, you recognize your own reflection in the distance.
You know that you are there, somewhere, and you are worth
whole palaces made of stardust stalactites,
troves of pink gemstones that pulse
as fast as your little heart.
The shadows take the shape of mouths at night and
you are so brave, you find ways to shield yourself from them
using no magic.
You are so brave, you taught us how to be our own
nightlight in abject darkness.
You are my Joan of Arc, you are not afraid.
You are born to do this.
With no map, you will teach us how to
love ourselves when no one else knows how.
Tip-toed and daydreaming, you walk yourself home
even when it’s never in the same place twice.