25th April 2002 Poem by Za7ra Sulaiman

25th April 2025.

time flies and God i wish the eternal fountain of youth is real, I CAN'T BELIEVE I AM 23 THIS YEAR. it felt like just yesterday I just had my first kiss, first heartbreak, first day in highschool and today I'm no longer a young dumb and broke teenager but a young dumb and broke adult 😭 ok enough yapping so here's to myself,
______________________________________________happy birthday,
how ironic, i am so benevolent to others but,
to my own, I haven't always been so kind,
To this soft soul and quiet mind.
I dodged the mirrors on my way,
As if the truth would fade away.
Each flaw I saw, each sleepless trace,
Each sorrow curved upon my face.
My gaze, unkind—a sharpened dart,
Never touched this tender heart.
I wish I'd known to treat me right,
To see myself in softer light.
For she is beauty, calm and rare,
A breath of peace in heavy air.
Yet never once did I embrace
The girl behind that fragile face.
Not once, a whisper, kind and true—
Not once, a gentle 'I love you.'
But maybe soon, I'll come to see
That she is more than hurt can be.
Her glow survives the darkest skies,
Still shining, though she can't realize.
She doesn't need to beg for grace,
It's written in her soul, her face.
happy 23rd birthday dearest self.