Nevertheless (Letter to my past selves)

Cherry
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By agnosticnun

Mon, 20 Apr 2020
  • 1678 reads
10 comments
 

You do not take advice well.
This will not change.
Nevertheless.

Pay attention in class
Hold tight to things that don’t last,
Learn useless things.
(Yes, greek philosophy is useless.
I’m sorry.)

Do not trust the boys with ponytails

Unless, perhaps, they are hippies.

I have no advice for you on hippies.

 

Drink water. Don’t finish every book.

Taste everything offered,

Don’t eat with poisoners, and

Don’t expect inlaws to cook.

 

Take photographs more.

Sunlit days will chill,

Dark ones fade.

And in an unimagined future 

You will not be wiser, but still

Excavating for meaning

For the advice you will not take

For the self that washes through time

To be beached on some yet unknown shore.

 

 

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Comments

Submitted by celticman on

sound advice. I never listen to sound advice. 

 

Submitted by agnosticnun on

Me either! In my defense, as far as I know I've never eaten with poisoners.

Kristi

Submitted by littleditty on

All good advice...I'm taking it! Well, I intend to...Well spun, wry smile to a truesay ending -enjoyed.

 

Submitted by agnosticnun on

Good advice, like good intentions... Glad you enjoyed! 

Kristi

Submitted by gletherby on

I love this. Beautifully done.  

Submitted by agnosticnun on

Thank you!

Kristi

Submitted by luigi_pagano on

Follow my advice, Kristi: continue to write this kind of delectable poetry.
Much enjoyed.

Luigi x

 

 

Submitted by onemorething on

Yes, agree with all the above. Beautifully written and it made me wonder what advice we would all write ourselves. Perhaps we would all find it enlightening! Rachel :)

 

Submitted by peterelbee on

There is some good advice contained in this letter, and some guidelines that seem a little questionable. 

Greek philosophy- though as you say it is not essential, probably should not be disregarded. It is something you are, or perhaps were interested in at one time but for whatever reason you gave up on it. This would be something better perused as a hobby that a carrier. 

You are asking yourself to demonize pony tales. Just remember Stalin, Hitler, Pol Pot, Son of Sam, Charles Manson, Ted Bundy and Idi Amin didn’t have pony tails; nor does Kim Jo-Yong or Vladimir Putin.

I’m not sure why you would not want to finish every book you read. It’s like following the Lord of the Rings through the entire trilogy and skipping the part when Sam, Frodo and Golum are almost at the top of Mount Doom. But there may be a deeper meaning or reason you have for saying this.

Apart from all that, I enjoyed reading your letter. I know when I was in the midst of my teenage rebellion years I would not have listened to the advice I would give myself now. That is a fact, because I didn’t.

 

Submitted by Sweet T Marie on

I can definately relate, I am working on not being too stubborn and learning how to enjoy life more.smiley As an ocean lover, I love the imagery of the past self washing upon shore. It reminds me of meditation/yoga practices I've noticed a lot of references to the ocean waves and breathing to help sooth. 

~Sweet T