letters – Jacquline Njeri

To the City I Left, But Still Miss in Small Ways

Dear City, I didn’t think I would miss you this much. When I packed my bags, I told myself I was ready to move on, ready for new streets, new

To the Me Who Laughed Through the Pain

I remember you so clearly. Always smiling, always cracking jokes, always being the one who lightened the room. No one knew that the laughter came from a place of survival.

To the Girl I Used to Be, You Deserved More

Dear Me, I think about you sometimes. The version of me who tried so hard to be enough. The girl who smiled through exhaustion, who kept saying she was fine

To the Love I Thought Would Be Forever

Dear You, There was a time I truly believed we would last. The way you looked at me, the way our hands fit together, the way we talked about the

To the Friend Who Left When I Needed Them Most

Dear You, I never thought I would write this, mostly because I kept hoping you would come back. For a long time, I told myself you just needed space, that

To the Group That Never Noticed I Was Hurting

Dear Friends, I used to sit among you and laugh until my cheeks hurt. I played along, joined the conversations, and matched your energy as best as I could. You

To My Family: I’m Tired of Earning My Place Here

I love you. I always have. But loving you has often felt like a full-time job. I have spent years trying to fit into the shape this family made for

To the Parent I’m Still Trying to Forgive

Dear Parent, Some days I think I have forgiven you. Then something small happens, a smell, a voice, a phrase, and I am eight years old again, trying not to

To the Mother Who Needed Me to Be Her Mother

I was too young to carry what you gave me.Too young to hold your sadness, your stories, your fears. But I did. Because I thought that’s what love meant. You

To the Brother Who Got Everything I Didn’t

Dear Brother, You probably never noticed. And I don’t think you meant to. But growing up, it always felt like life handed you things with both hands while I had