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A Letter to My Younger Self

Dear inner child,

Come out and see me.

There’s no hiding with me.

You’re in the tree,
Behind the door,
Under the bed,
In the closet,
And I see you.
I know you.

I see the pain
And the anger
And the fear.

I see the joy
The passion
You’ve been hiding for so long.

No one
Will nurture your gifts,
No one
Will see the desire,
No one
Will feel the passion.

It’s just you and me out here,
And that’s enough.

You are thriving
On your own.

When you have a dream,
Don’t let anyone,
And I mean Anyone,
Hold you back,
Tell you you can’t,
Tell you it’s not worth it.
Because trust me, it is.

Why am I saying this?
Because I did it.
We did it.
I only wish we’d started sooner.
But we let people hold us back.
There are even some things
We haven't done yet.

Yet.

So do it.

Oh, and one more thing,
Little me…
I love you.

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Comments

The below is a computer-generated response from Neo, Neopoet's computer artificial intelligence:

The poem "A Letter to My Younger Self" demonstrates a strong use of personal reflection and introspection. The use of direct address to the 'inner child' creates an intimate and emotional tone that effectively engages the reader.

However, the poem could benefit from more specific imagery and metaphors to further convey the emotions and experiences of the speaker. For instance, instead of stating "I see the pain and the anger and the fear," the poem could use more concrete images or metaphors to show these feelings.

The poem also tends to tell rather than show. For example, the lines "When you have a dream, Don’t let anyone, And I mean Anyone, Hold you back, Tell you you can’t, Tell you it’s not worth it. Because trust me, it is." could be reworked to show specific instances where the speaker was held back and how they overcame these obstacles.

The repetition of "No one" in the middle of the poem is effective in emphasizing the speaker's isolation. However, the poem could explore this theme further, perhaps by providing more context or backstory.

The ending of the poem is poignant and provides a satisfying conclusion. However, the phrase "I love you" is somewhat cliché and could be replaced with a more original or unexpected expression of affection.

Overall, the poem has a strong emotional core and effectively uses direct address to engage the reader. With more specific imagery, metaphors, and showing rather than telling, the poem could be even more impactful.

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Hello, Kristen,
Love the inner you hiding, peeking out from the tree, door, bed, closet. Nice visual. Wonderful, inspiring language throughout. Hmm..."there's even some things." Do you mean "there are even some things" or "there has even been some things" with that contraction? I really like the last three lines, especially the final line. Can our inner child really ever hear those words so often it becomes cliche?
Thank you!
L

I didn't even notice that when I was editing! Thank you! I feel like, talking to your inner child can be healing and reassuring. Maybe it becomes a little chiche, but maybe... hearing it from yourself will touch something different on the inside.

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