{"id":2656,"date":"2024-09-09T09:52:55","date_gmt":"2024-09-09T09:52:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/?p=2656"},"modified":"2024-09-09T09:52:58","modified_gmt":"2024-09-09T09:52:58","slug":"left-to-pick-up-the-pieces-by-walking-shadow-poetry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/left-to-pick-up-the-pieces-by-walking-shadow-poetry\/","title":{"rendered":"Left to pick up the pieces by walking shadow poetry"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>I gave my heart so freely,<br>thinking love would be enough.<br>I offered my time,<br>my patience,<br>my everything,<br>hoping it would mean something.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But then, as soon as I let myself fall,<br>I saw their true colors,<br>their true selves,<br>and it wasn\u2019t what I wanted.<br>They only wanted me for moments,<br>not for forever.<br>They were here to pass the time,<br>to have fun,<br>without ever wanting to commit,<br>without ever wanting something real.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It was like they played a part,<br>a role that suited them for now,<br>but when it came time to build,<br>to promise,<br>to stay,<br>they backed away,<br>distracted by something else,<br>someone else.<br>Their love was only a convenience,<br>a stopgap,<br>not a destination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And it hurt.<br>It hurt to see that<br>the affection I gave<br>was met with only temporary interest.<br>That my hopes for a future<br>were dashed by their desire.<br>I thought I was giving them everything<br>they\u2019d ever want,<br>but all they needed<br>was a distraction,<br>a laugh for the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When I opened my heart,<br>they revealed the truth.<br>They never wanted anything lasting,<br>never wanted the depth<br>that I was ready to offer.<br>They just wanted to be entertained,<br>to pass the time,<br>never to build a life together,<br>never to hold on to what we could have had.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I was left with the realization<br>that my love wasn\u2019t enough<br>to make them stay,<br>to make them see<br>the value of what I had to give.<br>I was just a momentary joy,<br>a temporary friend,<br>when I wanted to be something more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So here I am,<br>left with the ache of knowing<br>that my love was only a brief stop<br>on their journey,<br>and I\u2019m left to pick up the pieces,<br>to understand that what I thought<br>was the beginning<br>was really just a passing moment<br>in their search for something less serious,<br>less lasting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s painful,<br>feeling like my heart was just a place<br>for them to rest before moving on.<br>But I\u2019m learning,<br>slowly,<br>that not everyone sees the same depth<br>that I do.<br>And while it\u2019s hard to accept,<br>I know that my love<br>deserves more than just a passing glance,<br>more than just a mere enjoyment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>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 the time,to have fun,without ever [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2657,"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":[35,49,34,67,50,55,53,22,48],"class_list":["post-2656","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-stories","tag-story","tag-walkingshadowpoetry","tag-walkingshadowpoetrykenya"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/pexels-photo-6555028.jpeg?fit=867%2C1300&ssl=1","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3007,"url":"https:\/\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/spoken-word-the-weight-i-carry-by-walking-shadow-poetry\/","url_meta":{"origin":2656,"position":0},"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 &quot;poem&quot;","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":2652,"url":"https:\/\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/blinded-by-walking-shadow-poetry\/","url_meta":{"origin":2656,"position":1},"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 &quot;POETRY&quot;","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":2656,"position":2},"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 &quot;poem&quot;","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":2802,"url":"https:\/\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/the-one-who-stayed-by-walking-shadow-poetry-poem\/","url_meta":{"origin":2656,"position":3},"title":"The One Who Stayed by walking shadow poetry | Poem","author":"walking shadow poetry kenya","date":"November 10, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"They say time heals wounds,But it wasn\u2019t time that mended me,It was you the one who saw my scars,The one who held my broken heart gently,Without asking it to be whole. I gave my all to a love that left,And in that leaving, I nearly drowned,Apologized, reached out, bent myself\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;death&quot;","block_context":{"text":"death","link":"https:\/\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/SPOKENWORDSandMODERNDAYPOETRY\/death\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"woman kissing a baby beside a man","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/pexels-photo-11369188.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\/11\/pexels-photo-11369188.jpeg?fit=800%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/pexels-photo-11369188.jpeg?fit=800%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/pexels-photo-11369188.jpeg?fit=800%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3248,"url":"https:\/\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/if-it-wasnt-love-why-did-it-hurt-like-this\/","url_meta":{"origin":2656,"position":4},"title":"\u201cIf It Wasn\u2019t Love, Why Did It Hurt Like This?\u201d","author":"walking shadow poetry kenya","date":"April 25, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"I didn\u2019t plan this.Honestly, falling for you wasn\u2019t on my checklist.At first, you were just my person, my safe place,the one who made the world feel a little less loud. Over time, though, things began to shift.At first, it was subtle.Then gradually, your smile started feeling like home.And suddenly, your\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;poem&quot;","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\/IMG_9953-scaled.jpg?fit=800%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/IMG_9953-scaled.jpg?fit=800%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/IMG_9953-scaled.jpg?fit=800%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/IMG_9953-scaled.jpg?fit=800%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2464,"url":"https:\/\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/love-myself\/","url_meta":{"origin":2656,"position":5},"title":"Love Myself spoken word.","author":"walking shadow poetry kenya","date":"August 28, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"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\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;POETRY&quot;","block_context":{"text":"POETRY","link":"https:\/\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/SPOKENWORDSandMODERNDAYPOETRY\/poetry\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"artist photoshoot","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/pexels-photo-18068064.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-18068064.jpeg?fit=800%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/pexels-photo-18068064.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-18068064.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\/2656","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=2656"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2656\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2658,"href":"https:\/\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2656\/revisions\/2658"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2657"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2656"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2656"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2656"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}