Sometimes… they don’t just fade.
Sometimes… they come back.
Not with a whisper, not by accident,
But with fire in their eyes and trembling in their voice,
Trying to rewind the moments they lost,
Trying to fix the cracks with words you used to crave.
They reach out like they finally understand what silence stole,
Like they woke up one morning and realized the emptiness wasn’t peace—
It was your absence echoing through their chest.
You see their name light up your screen again.
Not because they need something,
But because they missed something,
You.
And suddenly you’re caught in a storm of memories,
Because just when you were starting to heal,
Just when you were learning to live without their presence,
Here they come again…
Texting you like the past didn’t ache,
Calling like time didn’t hurt,
Promising things you once begged to hear,
Now pouring freely like they finally found the courage.
And I know…
It’s confusing.
Because this isn’t like before.
They’re not distant, not cold, not avoidant.
They’re all in, or at least they say they are.
They tell you they’re sorry,
That they were scared,
That they didn’t know how to love you back then,
But they do now.
They say they’ve changed,
That they’ve thought about you every single day,
That letting you go was the biggest mistake they ever made.
And part of you wants to believe it.
Because deep down,
You never stopped hoping they’d come back different.
You prayed for this.
You imagined this moment during all those sleepless nights.
You pictured the apology, the realization, the effort.
And now that it’s here,
You’re torn between your healing
And the love you never stopped feeling.
But listen…
Before you say yes,
Before you open your heart again like it never cracked,
Ask yourself this:
Are they back because they love you,
Or are they back because they lost you?
Because love doesn’t wait until you’re gone to show up.
Love doesn’t need silence to feel your worth.
Real love stays when things are messy,
Not just when they realize what they’re missing.
Don’t let sweet words make you forget the silence that almost broke you.
Don’t let flowers cover the thorns you once bled from.
And yet, I’m not saying people don’t change.
I’m not saying hearts don’t wake up late.
Sometimes they really do come back with open hands,
With real growth, with honesty,
With the kind of love that learned from the loss.
Sometimes people leave as boys and return as men.
Sometimes the lesson hits after they feel your absence louder than your presence ever screamed.
So if they try to win you back,
Don’t rush.
Let their actions speak longer than their apologies.
Let time do the talking.
Let your peace be your compass.
You don’t have to punish them for leaving,
But you don’t have to make it easy for them to return either.
Because you’re not the same person who cried over unanswered texts.
You’re not the same soul who begged for crumbs of attention.
You grew.
You healed.
You found light in places they never looked.
So if they’re back, they need to meet this version of you,
The one who knows their worth.
The one who doesn’t settle for temporary love.
If they’re really here to stay,
Let them prove it without pressure.
Let them show up without conditions.
Because love that’s real doesn’t ask you to shrink back into who you were.
It meets you where you are now,
And grows with you.
So yes…
They might try hard to win you back.
They might say all the right things this time.
But you…
You get to decide if love is enough
After trust was shattered.
You get to decide if their return brings peace,
Or just noise wrapped in guilt.
And if you do take them back,
Do it because your heart believes,
Not because your loneliness agreed.
Do it because the love is new, not recycled.
Do it because they finally understand
What you always knew…
That you were worth the fight all along.
“Walk in Their Shoes” Spoken Word BY WALKING SHA
(1) Walking Shadow Poetry Kenya – YouTube
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