this is for the girl who was too scared to dream,
who didn’t know what she was capable of
who would only go through the motions day after day after day.
this is for the girl who was always picked last,
who never found her people
who thought crying was a sign of weakness
who kept her heart under lock and key
this is for the girl who was always angry,
who couldn’t explain why she would push people away
who wanted to burn the world to the ground and build it back up herself.
this is for the girl i used to be
this is for the girl i still am
She still lives on in me
She hasn’t truly died, even though i sometimes like to think she has.
this is for who i was and who i am being one and the same,
this is for never apologizing for who i am
this is for learning it’s okay to cry sometimes
this is for dreaming too big
this is for wearing my heart on my sleeve
this is for my best friend
this is for living life to its fullest
this is for me.
(by Ella Golino ’26)