I was not special, except in my own mind. Dearest deviantArt readers, you kept me sane during my final year in high school. You wrapped me around in your coziness during the first year of college. When you accepted my poetry, you validated me. I was special outside of my own mind. I wrote so much then!

And today? I sift through the remaining accounts - no more suture? when did this happen? - and I feel a bit sad. It's funny, but I do miss the words. The words, they held my fragile young adult mind together. I miss them.

But now it's 2008. I've grown up, admitted that a few of my poems were about one boy who is probably a man now somewhere. I actually like those poems and all the others and only wish I wrote more. They are my memories, but they are weirdly misleading.

I don't write anymore. I can't. But it seems y'all never stopped writing. Y'all got along find without me (I'm still special, but only inside my mind). With that, I'm done trying. I wish they would delete my account, but dA makes that impossible, so I'm doing the next best thing and deleting the gallery.

I've saved the poetry and am compiling a little book with my newly learned bookmaking skills. The comments I received - all your lovely comments, thank you so much - will be there as well. I'll make as many as are requested, up to 50. I will have a secure form on my website for you to submit an address through.

And so, this ode to deviantArt's writers without whom I would not have survived 12th grade or freshman year of college goes out to:

meic2
originill
harmfulparticle
Kohakuiro
nubianlover
dasya
sarasvatia
ostara
beea20
catching
bossdj
Gunzino
Chococat05
Sombermuse
AngelicLawyer
manchaliaina
xxxxxx
conundrumquaint
entropicsuicide
angeljunkie
phoenixreal

youthculture and imperfect for the DD