The Poetry Shed

A Virtual Classroom

Dear Bethany

Dear the me of last year, Hello! I assume you have a lot of questions. Or maybe you don’t. Maybe you want to avoid thinking about the nebulous future, to pretend that it exists somewhere you can’t reach. I understand that, I do. I don’t want to lie to you, but at the same time, […]

Dear Emily

Dear Emily, I don’t really know how to tell you that you’ll be okay, because I know you aren’t. Nobody really is. You were scared when your mom got sick, and you smell candles every morning just to make sure you’re okay, and you don’t ever feel relaxed. School feels like the one thing you […]

Dear Shea

Hi past me. You don’t know it yet, but god you’re in for a lot. I’ll tell you now that you won’t find one thing that makes you decide the pandemic was worth it. Next April you’d trade everything from it to hope it didn’t happen, you’d give them all up in a heartbeat. Good […]

Dear Morgan

Dear Morgan, Brace yourself… because you truly have no idea what is coming at you this year. You don’t know it yet, but you are about to end your first year of college early at the school you began to truly love. You’ll have to pack extra clothes, books, and other belongings for what at […]

Dear Winder

Dear Winder, I hope you’re doing well, hanging in there during quarantine. What a crazy time. While it doesn’t seem like it, everything will get better. I promise. I want to tell you about the year ahead and what’s to come. But first, I want to start with what’s to come during quarantine. First, because […]

Dear Juliana

Hi Jules, Take a deep breath. It’ll all be okay. I know that’s easier said than done, and I know you always say that to other people without any intention of believing it yourself. This will be a hard year. And that is perfectly fine to accept. You won’t realize the tremendous breath you’ve been […]

Dear Ally

Dear Ally, You don’t know it yet, but soon you’ll be so surrounded by love it will consume you. I know you feel lonely right now, I know he’s a hundred miles away and you don’t know when you’ll see him next, but soon you’ll be falling asleep next to him every night. I know […]

Dear Bridget

So, Spring 2020 Bridget, I wanted to write to you to let you know you have one hell of a year coming your way… You don’t know it yet, but this pandemic is going to teach you a lot about how flexible and adaptable you can be. I know you prefer to plan things out […]

Dear Lindsey

Dear Lindsey, You’ve been waiting for 2020. Everyone has. But what no one knows is to come. It’s called COVID 19, a virus that will take over the world and everything as you know it. Masks won’t be just for skiing and robbing banks anymore, and hugs will be lethal. You’ll avoid it for a […]

Dear Abby

Dear Past Self,  Hey! How are you doing? I wanted to know how life is treating you right now because, oh boy, it’s about to get pretty weird. The pandemic really picks up, or well, COVID-19, does and you are really going to be bored once it does. Quarantine happens, and it still is happening […]