[x]

Dear Teen MeDear Teen Me,

Yes, you there.

You in the horn-rimmed glasses in your stupid millwheel hat. You knew you’d look totally dumb wearing that to a carnival party, didn’t you? And now you sit there hating the music, hating the people who dragged you there, hating your hair, your figure, your baggy tapered jeans and most of all your glasses. Yes, I know all that. I remember the whole damn evening, when they seemed to play nothing but Salt’n’Pepa, Rozalla and KLF. What did you think they’d play, Paul McCartney, or Elvis Costello? What did you expect the boys would do – would they suddenly notice you with that mil

Dear Teen MeDear Adolescent Self,

I know, everything sucks and you don't want to hear from some lame-ass old person. Lame-ass old people try to tell you things like this all the time, but they're just stupid old people that can't possibly understand. You don't respect me because I'm not in a band, I don't have black hair, and I don't look awesome. I don't write screamey songs that speak to your weasley black soul, nor am I Tim Burton or Freddie Mercury. I get it, past self. I get it. Frankly, I don't want to hear things from me either most of the time. As lame as I may be, just hear me out for a minute.

There's this thing you should really, really try,

dear teen meDear Sarah,
            Remember that time you tried to top yourself by hiding under the covers? That was hilarious. I remember you tugging at the edges of the blanket and praying, without a shred of scientific evidence, that the lack of oxygen would be enough to kill you. You sat under there for something like fifteen minutes before you gave up and went to make a sandwich. But while you were under there, choking a little on your pillow because you never washed your sheets, I remember you thought someone was watching. Someone who understood your suffering. Someone who understood you.
            Kid, that was me. And I've got two words for you: man up. Life can get a whole lot harder than this. Before too much longer, it's going to. And by the time you get to my age, you're going to be glad.
            Why were you

Dear Daddy's GirlDear Naive 15,

You're ignorant as Hell.

You dress in baggy blue jeans, wear an oversized hoodie every day, and never let your hair down. Students at school, and even your mom, think you're gay… and you don't even know.

All of your classmates blame you for a burn book that circulated after that Mean Girls movie. Everyone thinks you're a jealous bitch and secretly they mock you. How can you not see that?

Your teachers are all positive that you cut yourself and that you're always on drugs. Even now you have no idea why they ask you to take your jacket off during class. Could it be that you always wear long sleeves?

It's okay, sweetheart.

Dear Teen Me

Dear Teen Me,

You were an annoying brat and I'm glad I'm rid of you, and so is everyone else.

Sincerely,
Adult Me.

Dear Teen Ruby RoseDear Ruby,

I know you hate me calling you that. I know you'd rather I use one of the millions of aliases you've buried yourself under over the years, the way you used to hide under pillows or disappear into piles of leaves, or cover yourself in snow while the other kids made snow angels (because you didn't have wings - you're the abominable snowman).

You're still that little girl, as much as you disguise it - the only difference is that now you're hiding in words and clothes. I know what you're doing with all of that lace and the skirts and PVC. The way you wear provocative clothing so that people look at you and judge you by the threads, s

Dear Teen MeDear Teen Me,

Too often, we lean toward writing to the general audience. I've rewritten this very letter at least three times, and had to scrap it each time because it did not accomplish what it needs to accomplish. It needs to be a letter to you, not to every teenage girl in America. It needs to speak to your heart, your dreams, and your faults. It needs to be about you.

Since we were able to comprehend compassion, we've used it as a shield to avoid ourselves. We've sympathized with the plights of the starving in Asia, the trafficked in India, the raped and tortured in Sudan and Burma. We've given to the Red Cross on behalf of hurricane an

Dear Teen MeDear Teen Me:

You're in the hospital right now, curled up in a ball and wheezing in pain. The doctors have you on bed rest because every time you try to stand up the world goes black. You weigh just less than 90 pounds, and you haven't eaten in months. It's not because you don't want to eat; it's because keeping food down is like nailing Jell-O to the wall, impossible. You dry heave over a metal bed pan the nurse gave you, but nothing but this disgusting yellow and brown stuff ever comes up. The nurses tell you that the yellow stuff is bile and the brown stuff is blood.

They used to do tests on you every day. They would come in with their n

Dear Teen MeDear Teen Me,

It's been more than six years since we saw each other for the last time. I guess I should be asking then how are you holding up, but – honestly – let's skip that part. We've never been big on etiquette and rules of politeness, right? Best friends don't need that nonsense. Courtesy is used only to veil shallowness and our relations are anything but shallow. And besides, I know everything about you. Far more than you know about yourself. Well... To be honest, that's not an incredible feat. Poor you, always so clueless.

Let's take sexuality, for instance. I know that you've never paid much attention to this subject, b

Dear Teen MeDear Teen Me

Why hello there stranger!

I suppose you're looking at this letter with curiosity—I mean we look exactly alike, but I'm older.

Do you remember thinking that you were never good enough for this earth or anyone in it? Do you remember the multiple options on how to cop out on going to school? Or what sounded better was to end it then and there.

Well don't. It's not worth putting mom, dad, and yes the little brat in more pain and suffering, then it is to deal with the ignorant idiots of school right?

Remember one of the girls telling you nasty things—well when she adds you on Facebook she apologizes to you.

And I do apologize;

Dear Teen MeDear teen me,

I won´t ask you how you´re doing because I still remember very well. You´re sixteen now and ever so annoying as almost every teen is. You live with your father and his psychopathic girlfriend, who never loved her own children. You cry almost every night, hoping things will finally work out for you. That someday you will be happy. School sucks and you think you will always be alone because no one would love such an egoistic, annoying little brat like yourself. You don´t have a plan in life and your dreams for the future seem ridiculous and unlikely. You´re wearing cheap clothes and look just like you are

A beautiful teacupDear Thi,

You could never guess the cruelty that you'll face in the next 6 years. But don't worry because you'll survive it all 'cause I'm still here, aren't I?

At the tender age of 14, you think the worst thing is not getting your feelings return by your crush. But you're so far from the truth 'cause that's just the tip of the iceberg. For the first time in school, you became an outcast. You don't care how your hair look or the fact that you would wear the same sweater for a whole week. You started to notice things you've never noticed before. How people treated you like you have no feelings. How the friends you had back in middle school a

Dear Teen Me...You grew up too soon, your dandelion seeds sprouting weeds quickly, but that doesn't mean you know everything about life yet. Those feelings you've been wishing for? To be loved like coffee, like chocolate milk, like popcorn at the movie theater as the lights dim and people husssssssssh...around you? They're lurking, waiting to make their move. You can ignore them all you want, but first loves are a bitch and by the time that night is over, you'll already be infatuated with the sound of his voice, the tilt of his head, the dimples of his smile. You'll string him along for almost a year, never realizing that his puppy-dog eyes and his unc

Dear Teen CaitlanDear Teen Caitlan,

There are so many things I could tell you, but --

You'll learn early on that life is hard and that you shouldn't take the crap people throw --

Having your heart broken isn't as bad as it seems. You'll cry, you'll get angry, you'll --

Sometimes pain is good --

I'm not very good at writing letters, especially to myself, so, if you're reading this, it's probably the fifth time I've re-written it. You're the same way, writing, then re-writing, and re-writing, and finally giving up and throwing it away. Every scrap of crumpled up paper held your entire soul, the dried ink like your dried tears -- hidden in the darkness.

He

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The Sweet Bough of Autumn Leaves                 I
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Rotting WithinMy hand reaches my lips as they part, salivating at the rotting taste that is to meet my taste buds. My scarred and chipped teeth dig into the soggy surface, the swollen gums straining under the light pressure as I take a desperate bite out of the revolting flesh.

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Dear Teen me

by ~NotenSMSK, Nov 16, 2012, 11:23:08 AM
Contests / 2012 / Dear Teen Me / Adult

17th November 2012

Dear Teen SMSK,

How are you… ah, but I know the answer already. "Fine, I guess" wasn't it? You never strayed from those three words as a retort and you taught me so as well. I know you don't have time to read a letter. You have important ventures to take care of and while I don't deny them being important, just take a moment to read through, since I know that later on, you shall have all the time and though, being who we are, you shall say "I don't regret it", I can guarantee this letter shall nudge your curiosity till eternity. You are young, you will have far more important ventures.

You probably weren't expecting me to write to you, but now that you have received this letter and realized who it is from, you must be brimming with anticipation over the eloquence you might witness. Old habits still force me into verbose literature but time forced it to settle on a borderline so don't expect much from me. You probably are still in that effusive stage.

You know, your take on life was not wrong. You felt the world was disturbed, that it was a bicycle riding inside a well, with the aristocratic population jeering at the wobbly, pitiable citizen, using meager amounts of cash – in their perspective – for entertainment, while the citizen held on for dear life onto the wobbly bicycle. You wished to be a writer and change the world. That had others laughing right? A vision and a method that were deemed as a six year olds fantasy? What mockery it was, don't you agree? You probably ignored them, used their jeer as fuel for paving a better path, for fortifying the chaos you had experienced and to strengthen your resolve.

Well to ensure you, to let the ripples of your own doubt settle to provide you with a perfect reflection, I shall tell you: yes, you did succeed in becoming a writer whose name rang through streets, who every kid looked up to. A name that, as you phrased, would reach the heavens if sound had the capability of doing so. Ah, am I using past tense? Confusing tenses; that is another trait that you passed on to me. Moving onwards… yes, you shall bring that six year olds fantasy to life. Were you able to make the world a better place through your words though? I know you would not want me to spoil that for you.

But there will be sacrifices. There will be sorrow… you will have to endure a lot. You are steadfast, I know. Who would know that better than me? But there are problems, losses that you did not imagine or perhaps, at the very least… you wished not to face. You shall have to get stronger; you might have to break bonds. This reminds me of a four-liner I wrote when I was a teen. I recall you were quite proud of it.

"My life tells of lies,
tales of vows and torn ties.
Of stories having names
blank pages filling frames"

Yes, that describes the situation you will probably end up in.
But… let me guess… you must me grinning while reading this right? The anticipation was worth the while I guess. You would probably be saying out aloud "You did it on your own right? So shall I" and you probably would be right as well.

There are perhaps many questions that you would like me to answer. Rather you would be wondering, what sort of questions would you ask when you will be in my place. I hope not to disappoint you. There are too many worries, uncertainties, insecurities that has molded us. I shall answer what I feel is required so don't think badly of it.
The first question, ah a plain and simple one. You are probably keeping that question in a vault in your mind which unlocks itself again and again. So I shall help you. Help you know that, had you approached her, had you expressed your liking, would it have made a difference? Would you two have spent your life together for a single dream? Had you not ignored the single whisper that left her lips… ah you are not sure there was a whisper at all right? All I shall advice you, is that don't be as hesitant as I was quite a few years back, and she will probably not laugh at you. But she was always a sweet soul wasn't she? And she will remain that way.

The other question that I feel you should know – one that made me ponder for many a night. Would you shed a tear ever again? Quite a queer statement right? It was probably not in your mind but if you think about it… that is one question that you have avoided answering. I found the answer and to ease your burden I shall share it. You made me snuff them out right? Kill my emotions; repeat in my head that sorrow is a must on this path. You prepared me for life. Did I pass the test? Will YOU pass the test? I shall give you a hint, a hint from your own writing.

"Tears and smiles,
return after whiles.
They're unlike, yet so near
for your smiles, spell my tears"

I recall you loved word play but riddles specifically did not match your taste. I am fine with that.

Oh dear me, it is quite late! I quit on the practice of staying up till late and while it may surprise you, you shall learn to do so as well. And tomorrow I also have a gathering with old faces. Faces that both you and I know of.

I shall let you go then. It is your life after all and while I managed to expose a lot, you and I both know that knowing something before experiencing it is in a way, useless. So I await you. I await the day when you shall come and embrace me. Not as a superior but as an equal. I have quite some life ahead of me and I would like to spend it with the same charisma you hold while finishing this letter. May you be prepared for the worst and may you live a happy life.

Yours truly,
SMS.K

P.S. Oh and burn this letter after you read it! You will grow up to be a lot more secretive. And the dot after SMS is the way I write it now.

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Dear Teen Me

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Dear Teen meby ~NotenSMSK

Contests / 2012 / Dear Teen Me / Adult

This is written for the contest, "Dear Teen me". The concept is actually quite an intruiging one. What one would write to their past selves or their future selves. Quite a strange idea it is. Depending on the person, someone will give have a funny or perhaps an adventurous letter. Others will have humble ones.

The short works are "My Truth"

My Truth"My life tells of lies,
tale of vows and torn ties.
Of stories having names;
blank pages filling frames"

and "Tears and smiles"

Tears and smiles Tears and smiles,
return after whiles.
They're unlike yet so near,
for your smiles spell my tears.

respectively. They belong to me just like the letter itself.

I hope you enjoy this work!

Critique by ~shehrozeameen Nov 18, 2012, 2:56:15 AM

This is one of those rare moments when I read a letter so innocently capturing something so deep, that I wonder whether I even knew the person who wrote this letter.

Indeed, It is insightful. The use of grammar is actually pristine and compact, while the use of the four liners added a sense of antediluvian brevity to this letter. Its worth the read.

The best part of this letter was its optimism, and how its tone wasn't condescending at all - it was honest, it was humorous, and it was very mature and full of life.

Try writing like this more often - it actually suits you.

What do you think?

Fair Unfair

The Artist thought this was FAIR

2 out of 2 deviants thought this was fair.

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~softcaramelkisses Dec 22, 2012 Hobbyist Writer

I hope your visits with your future self become more regular than they have been SMS.K as I enjoyed your deep & emotional interaction with your wise, inner self, in this style of writing. I hope you listen to your wise self & remember what you write

Mind you, not all things need burning LOL Personal reflection serves it's purpose as we find our way through life. I am sure your higher (wiser) self appreciates your inquisitive nature as you become courageous in emptying your cup, when it is full. Openly sharing with all. Your writing frees you in the moment, allowing you to experience who you truly are SMS.K, in the present. I look forward to reading similar forms of writing like this, in the near future SMS.K

~NotenSMSK Dec 23, 2012 Hobbyist Writer

Ah, SMS.K ... I don't think it is time yet for me to be known by that name

but then again it gives the impression that I am reaching my goals before time! A good cue

I dunno about listening to my wiser self if it even exists

but I try to keep in mind who I will be 10 years later... or perhaps more

I am glad you enjoyed this piece but I wonder if I shall write in this form again

Thank you for your time and comment

SMS.K

~JessicaDunn Nov 26, 2012

This is really nice. It feels very raw. Not optimistic or depressing just... real. Taking the risk of being vulnerable and really putting yourself into your art always pays off.

How I would love to be able to communicate with my younger self somehow. But I know I wouldn't really listen.
You might be interested in this. ^_^ [link]

~NotenSMSK Nov 26, 2012 Hobbyist Writer

Oh this was quite interesting truly! First... thank you for the numerous comments on my works

it really means a lot to me! I am glad that you eenjoyed this work and the risk you felt taken.

I do think it will be a nice discussion with your younger self

Have you written to your future yet?

~JessicaDunn Nov 28, 2012

You're welcome!

I have written to my older self. It's actually a lot harder than it seems!

~NotenSMSK Nov 29, 2012 Hobbyist Writer

Ah the older self has to be... I mean... you don't know what will happen and... I wonder what I will write to my older self

that would be quite hard and tiresome for me

~JessicaDunn Nov 29, 2012

That sounds like a challenge! Do it, do it, do it!

~NotenSMSK Nov 30, 2012 Hobbyist Writer

Eh? I am quite a lazy guy so it would take an eternity to do that

~Laeneris Nov 18, 2012 Student Writer

Ah, why didn't I see this earlier?

Wow, that was so... open. It reminded me a little bit of myself, to be honest, which was kind of painful. I imagine this took more effort to write than 'normal' things?

It was good advice and hints at the future, but not so much as to spoil everything.

I admire how you've stayed rather optimistic here as well.

I'm sure a meeting between present you and past you would be something amazing to see!

~NotenSMSK Nov 18, 2012 Hobbyist Writer

haha Thank you for your sweet and kind comment

I am glad that it managed to have an effect on you. aww

what did it remind you of (you can note me if you want ^^ ). Funny thing... it took less time. Surprisingly I realized... this is how I truly write. This is natural for me. Poetry takes time, but prose, it just comes to me (I won't say it was awesome but it didn't take as much time as a poem of half its length

).

I didn't want to spoil much... although I did give some big hints but like I said, without experiencing, talking is nothing. And I stayed Optimistic?

WOW!!! I usually am one of the most depressed writers

and can only write about sad stuff

Haha I am just 20 years old

this is the future me writing to the past me... the present is not really involved

But I do agree... a meeting between past me and future me would be fun! It would start from the theory of multiple dimensions

Thank you again for your comment

Hey! Why don't you write as well

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