Dear future self

If  I should ever forget you,

this is my love note to you

You were loved

You were somebody’s lover

You were loving

You held parts of all the women you loved,

somewhere deep in your generous heart

You were heartbroken

You were a heartbreaker too, girl

Sometimes you were heartache

Your heart never grew heavy though,

I remember that about you

You were silly

You were giggles

You were somebody’s Mama

You always wanted to be a Mama

Mama was the greatest title you ever had

You were jealous as fuck

You were selfish

You were sad

You held other folks’ sadness,

especially Mama’s sadness

You buried that deep in our heart

You were swag girl

Leo charm and confidence

Couldn’t nobody crack you up

as much as yourself

You were cute and you were vain

You wore lipstick under your mask

during a pandemic

because you were cute and you were vain

You loved your family

Your lover loved you for decades

Sometimes you would ask yourself,

How I get so lucky, girl?

You loved people

You were at home on a stage in front of a mic,

sitting with community in a circle,

or talking one on one with a friend

for hours on end in a coffee shop

You were a poet

You are a poet

This is your love poem to yourself, Juliet