A bit of advice

oh holy child.
my sweet sweet babe
swaddled in summer
and caked in leaves.
you smile like a bear
all teeth, proud of your spoils.
a kingdom of grass cuttings
dirt beneath your nails.

The sun will set, and
the wind will take your kingdom.
you will learn to smile like a celebrity.
you will clean the dirt from your skin.
you will plait your own hair
and you'll realise you never knew your own name.

but, i come after the moon.
after you weep with amnesia.
the sun will rise again.
you will learn your name. you were right, it isn't that one.
you didn't think you'd live to see sixteen.
but you will grow into a beautiful adult
and you will laugh under the chill of the beach-sun.
there will be pretty girls at your eighteenth.
they will decorate you with white silk and lavender crowns.
you will be loved.