I used to chase love in all the wrong places,
Hoping someone would see the worth I couldn’t find,
I gave pieces of myself to those who didn\u2019t care,
Thinking their approval would somehow make me whole.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But all it left me with was emptiness,
A hollow echo where my heart should be,
I looked in the mirror and saw a stranger,
Someone lost, someone I didn\u2019t want to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I thought love was something to be earned,
Something given by others, something to plead,
But in the silence of my own solitude,
I began to see the truth I truly need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Love isn\u2019t found in another\u2019s gaze,
It\u2019s not hidden in their words or touch,
Love starts with the way I see myself,
In the quiet acceptance of all my flaws.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I learned to speak kindly to the girl in the mirror,
To cherish her for all she is, not what she lacks,
I embraced my scars, my imperfections,
Realizing they\u2019re part of what makes me, me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now, when I walk, I do it with purpose,
Not seeking validation in someone else\u2019s eyes,
I know my worth, and it\u2019s not up for debate,
I love myself enough to rise above the lies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I found love within, a love that\u2019s true,
A love that doesn\u2019t waver or fade away,
So now, when the world tries to break me down,
I stand tall, knowing I\u2019m enough in every way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To anyone struggling to find their own worth,
Remember, love isn\u2019t something you must chase,
It\u2019s within you, waiting to be uncovered,
So, start by loving yourself, and the rest will fall into place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Walking shadow Poetry Kenya.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I used to chase love in all the wrong places,Hoping someone would see the worth I couldn’t find,I gave pieces of myself to those who didn\u2019t care,Thinking their approval would somehow make me whole. But all it left me with was emptiness,A hollow echo where my heart should be,I looked in the mirror and saw […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2465,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[97,25,98],"tags":[35,49,34,67,50,61,55,53,22,48],"class_list":["post-2464","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-poetry","category-solitude","category-storytime","tag-poems","tag-poetess","tag-poetry","tag-preciousowoko","tag-spokenword","tag-spokenwords","tag-stories","tag-story","tag-walkingshadowpoetry","tag-walkingshadowpoetrykenya"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/pexels-photo-18068064.jpeg?fit=867%2C1300&ssl=1","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2461,"url":"https:\/\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/learning-to-love-me-spoken-word\/","url_meta":{"origin":2464,"position":0},"title":"Learning to Love Me spoken word.","author":"walking shadow poetry kenya","date":"August 28, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"I used to search for love in every corner,In every face, in every word,Hoping someone would see me,And finally, I\u2019d be heard. But the more I searched,The more I felt alone,Trying to find my worthIn places I\u2019d never known. I thought love was somethingI had to earn,A prize for the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "POETRY"","block_context":{"text":"POETRY","link":"https:\/\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/SPOKENWORDSandMODERNDAYPOETRY\/poetry\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"man in red polo shirt smiling","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/pexels-photo-5543539.jpeg?fit=800%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/pexels-photo-5543539.jpeg?fit=800%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/pexels-photo-5543539.jpeg?fit=800%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/pexels-photo-5543539.jpeg?fit=800%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3007,"url":"https:\/\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/spoken-word-the-weight-i-carry-by-walking-shadow-poetry\/","url_meta":{"origin":2464,"position":1},"title":"Spoken Word: The Weight I Carry by walking shadow poetry","author":"walking shadow poetry kenya","date":"January 27, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"I carry this weight,Not on my back, but in my chest.It\u2019s heavy, constant, and it doesn\u2019t rest.I\u2019ve tried to be strong,But honestly, how long can I fake being okayWhen everything feels so wrong? Relationships?I got into them, hoping for love,Dreaming of something real, something solid.Instead, I built castles in the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "poem"","block_context":{"text":"poem","link":"https:\/\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/SPOKENWORDSandMODERNDAYPOETRY\/poem\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"reflection of woman s eye on broken mirror","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/pexels-photo-2282000.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/pexels-photo-2282000.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/pexels-photo-2282000.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/pexels-photo-2282000.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/pexels-photo-2282000.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3267,"url":"https:\/\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/i-love-you-so-much\/","url_meta":{"origin":2464,"position":2},"title":"I Love you so much.","author":"walking shadow poetry kenya","date":"April 28, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"I love you...More than words could ever fully explain.At first, I didn\u2019t believe I could love again,because life, over time, had taught me how to build walls,not bridges. You see, I had been broken not once,but too many times to still count.And honestly, I had lost hope,lost pieces of myself\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "poem"","block_context":{"text":"poem","link":"https:\/\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/SPOKENWORDSandMODERNDAYPOETRY\/poem\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/DSC_0004-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C802&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/DSC_0004-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C802&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/DSC_0004-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C802&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/DSC_0004-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C802&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/DSC_0004-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C802&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2652,"url":"https:\/\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/blinded-by-walking-shadow-poetry\/","url_meta":{"origin":2464,"position":3},"title":"Blinded by walking shadow poetry","author":"walking shadow poetry kenya","date":"September 9, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"I gave you everything,every piece of my heart,thinking that maybe this time,it would be different.I thought we were building something real,something that could last,but I was wrongso wrong. You smiled,you laughed,you made me feel like I was special,but underneath it all,you never wanted morethan just a good time,just someone to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "POETRY"","block_context":{"text":"POETRY","link":"https:\/\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/SPOKENWORDSandMODERNDAYPOETRY\/poetry\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"woman in pink dress sitting on brown wooden chair","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/pexels-photo-7268549.jpeg?fit=800%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/pexels-photo-7268549.jpeg?fit=800%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/pexels-photo-7268549.jpeg?fit=800%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/pexels-photo-7268549.jpeg?fit=800%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3241,"url":"https:\/\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/i-let-you-go-because-i-learned-to-love-me-too\/","url_meta":{"origin":2464,"position":4},"title":"I Let You Go, Because I Learned to Love Me Too","author":"walking shadow poetry kenya","date":"April 21, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"I didn\u2019t just wake up feeling strong.That strength grew from late nights,Tear-stained pillows, and quiet prayers I barely managed to say.So many times, I couldn\u2019t breathe from the weight of questions I never got answers to.I kept asking myself what I did wrong,Why love couldn\u2019t fix it,Why I kept holding\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "poem"","block_context":{"text":"poem","link":"https:\/\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/SPOKENWORDSandMODERNDAYPOETRY\/poem\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/DSC_0043-7.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/DSC_0043-7.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/DSC_0043-7.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/DSC_0043-7.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/DSC_0043-7.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2656,"url":"https:\/\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/left-to-pick-up-the-pieces-by-walking-shadow-poetry\/","url_meta":{"origin":2464,"position":5},"title":"Left to pick up the pieces by walking shadow poetry","author":"walking shadow poetry kenya","date":"September 9, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"I gave my heart so freely,thinking love would be enough.I offered my time,my patience,my everything,hoping it would mean something. But then, as soon as I let myself fall,I saw their true colors,their true selves,and it wasn\u2019t what I wanted.They only wanted me for moments,not for forever.They were here to pass\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "POETRY"","block_context":{"text":"POETRY","link":"https:\/\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/SPOKENWORDSandMODERNDAYPOETRY\/poetry\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"food plate light holiday","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/pexels-photo-6555028.jpeg?fit=800%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/pexels-photo-6555028.jpeg?fit=800%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/pexels-photo-6555028.jpeg?fit=800%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/pexels-photo-6555028.jpeg?fit=800%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2464","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2464"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2464\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2468,"href":"https:\/\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2464\/revisions\/2468"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2465"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2464"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2464"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2464"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}