Dear 2017

Dear 2017,

You fractured my world and shattered my mind.

The infernos that destroyed California

Are like the flames that burn through me.

My skull became charcoal

As the world around me grew black and white.

Two different sides of the same issue

That should have died after 1865.

Hurricanes Maria and José.

Immigrants being washed away

From a country who promised the American Dream.

The violent winds that devastated

The caribbean islands

Are like the events in my life flashing by:

US President #45, Women’s March,

Unite the Right rally at Charlottesville,

Hurricane Irma, Las Vegas Shooting,

Me Too Movement.

I am a witness of history.

The negative world that consumed me made me

Question the purpose of life.

I felt like there was no hope,

Nothing worth living for.

When nothing in life brought me light

Or motivated me to be the best version of myself,

I collapsed into a ball.

My mind became my mental slavery,

And I was imprisoned by my self-doubt.

I no longer had a dream.

2017, You may have shattered my soul into pieces,

But I have grown into a beautiful mosaic.

Sincerely,

Stephanie