Dear reader,

I now officially close that chapter of my life.

I know, I sound overly sentimental. It might have something to do with it currently being almost 1am, but I wanted to have a proper ending to all this. After all, I know I will no longer write poetry, and this part of my life was rather special to me. I loved hard, I hurt hard, and I grew. I learned so many things about myself and others, and took each setback as a life lesson instead of regretting it. The ease with which I write these words was something I paid for in life experiences.

I am nowhere near done learning and growing, but that was a time in my life when I was very fragile, awkwardly stumbling about as I tried to gain my footing and find my place in this vast world. Little did I know I'd have to carve a place myself, and I have done so little by little, chipping away, slowly hewing a me-shaped niche.

With this collection, I thank my younger self for being brave enough to write, regardless of who read it or what they thought. I also officially say good-bye to my teenage years. I will always remember it with bittersweetness, but I must continue to look forward and keep going.

I know I'm waxing verbose at this point, so if you're still reading then I thank you for journeying this far and allowing me to ramble to you.

Without further ado, I bid you farewell.

With all my heart,
~Mochi💙