{"id":5602,"date":"2026-06-03T14:47:48","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T14:47:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/?p=5602"},"modified":"2026-06-03T14:47:56","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T14:47:56","slug":"painful-powerful-reality-about-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/painful-powerful-reality-about-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Painful Powerful Reality about life."},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dear stranger,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I used to be just like you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I used to think that keeping the peace<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meant letting everyone else disrupt mine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I used to sit quietly under the weight<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Of someone else\u2019s bad mood, walking on eggshells,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Telling myself that if I just held on a little longer,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If I was just sweeter, kinder, more available&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They\u2019d finally see my value.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They never did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Because you can\u2019t make someone appreciate<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A price tag they never intended to pay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You can&#8217;t force someone to value a soul<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They only intended to use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you do not understand your own worth,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">People will treat you like you&#8217;re disposable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They will step on you, unapologetically,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And walk away without a single backward glance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They will ruin your comfort,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Wreck your sleep,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And call it a compromise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But here is the hard truth we both need to hear,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The one that stings but saves:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nobody is entitled to fight for your worth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">No one is going to act as your emotional bodyguard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There is no knight in shining armor coming to rescue you<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From the people you keep letting into your life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You have to stand up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You have to be the one to reclaim your space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This isn\u2019t about running away<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From every difficult conversation,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Or hiding away in isolation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s about standing your ground<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And drawing a line in the sand<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With permanent marker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s about creating boundaries that say,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;I love you, but I love me more.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It takes a personal initiative<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To stop the self-pity cycle,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To look in the mirror and say, &#8220;No more.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Stop thinking you deserve the worst things<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Just because you\u2019ve gotten used to the taste of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Stop romanticizing your suffering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Being broken wasn&#8217;t your choice;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The fractures were handed to you by careless hands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But staying broken?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That\u2019s a daily decision you make<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Every time you allow the disrespect to slide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Choose to heal today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Choose to be fiercely selective<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">About who gets access to your energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Add that tax to your value,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Stand tall in your own space,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And never offer a discount again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/share\/r\/1KYf6YHns1\">https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/share\/r\/1KYf6YHns1<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/powerful-reasons-to-strongly-choose-yourself\/\">Powerful Reasons to strongly choose yourself by walking<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"WALKING SHADOW POETRY COMPILATION spokenwords october\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/087-uaqy1C4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Dear stranger, I used to be just like you. I used to think that keeping the peace Meant letting everyone else disrupt mine. I used to sit quietly under the weight Of someone else\u2019s bad mood, walking on eggshells, Telling myself that if I just held on a little longer, If I was just sweeter, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5603,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_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":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[121,97,25,98],"tags":[35,49,34,67,50,61,55,53,22,48],"class_list":["post-5602","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-poem","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\/2026\/06\/IMG_20220207_225635-1-scaled.jpg?fit=1708%2C2560&ssl=1","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3038,"url":"https:\/\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/from-stumbles-to-strength-by-walking-shadow-poetry\/","url_meta":{"origin":5602,"position":0},"title":"From Stumbles to Strength by walking shadow poetry.","author":"walking shadow poetry kenya","date":"January 29, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"The mistakes I made?They weren\u2019t just scars;They were lessons written in ink too deep to erase.In fact, they were chapters in a book I once wished to burn.But now, when I look back,I realize they were never meant to be erased. I thought I had to be perfect.I believed every\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;poem&quot;","block_context":{"text":"poem","link":"https:\/\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/SPOKENWORDSandMODERNDAYPOETRY\/poem\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"make mistakes mug","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/pexels-photo-15223238.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/pexels-photo-15223238.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/pexels-photo-15223238.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/pexels-photo-15223238.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/pexels-photo-15223238.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2652,"url":"https:\/\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/blinded-by-walking-shadow-poetry\/","url_meta":{"origin":5602,"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":2648,"url":"https:\/\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/never-to-stay-never-to-commit-by-walking-shadow-poetry\/","url_meta":{"origin":5602,"position":2},"title":"Never to stay, Never to commit by walking shadow poetry","author":"walking shadow poetry kenya","date":"September 9, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"I see you, standing there,giving so much of yourself,to people who only come aroundwhen it\u2019s easy for them,when it costs them nothing,when all they want is to pass the time,never to stay, never to commit. You open your heart,hoping that maybe this time,it will be different.But all they ever seem\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;POETRY&quot;","block_context":{"text":"POETRY","link":"https:\/\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/SPOKENWORDSandMODERNDAYPOETRY\/poetry\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"man love art creative","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/pexels-photo-6669854.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/pexels-photo-6669854.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/pexels-photo-6669854.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/pexels-photo-6669854.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/pexels-photo-6669854.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2645,"url":"https:\/\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/its-okay-to-walk-away-by-walking-shadow-poetry\/","url_meta":{"origin":5602,"position":3},"title":"It\u2019s okay to walk away by walking shadow poetry","author":"walking shadow poetry kenya","date":"September 9, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"I know it hurts,I see the way you\u2019ve been holding on,to a love that once felt so certain,to a person who used to feel like home.But now you're left wondering,in the silence that never speaks,in the missed calls,the unread texts,the empty spaces they leave behind. You\u2019ve asked the questions,softly, carefully,\u201cIs\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;POETRY&quot;","block_context":{"text":"POETRY","link":"https:\/\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/SPOKENWORDSandMODERNDAYPOETRY\/poetry\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"black woman in blouse and jeans walking","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/pexels-photo-5214265.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-5214265.jpeg?fit=800%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/pexels-photo-5214265.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-5214265.jpeg?fit=800%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3286,"url":"https:\/\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/why-i-chose-my-ex-over-someone-new\/","url_meta":{"origin":5602,"position":4},"title":"Why I Chose My Ex Over Someone New.","author":"walking shadow poetry kenya","date":"May 5, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"I know we had something real,a bond we built slowly,but steadily.At first, it was simple,but as time went on,I found myself almost falling for you. You were there,you listened,and honestly,you made me feel seen.Because of that,walking away hasn\u2019t been easy. However, life has a strange way of circling back.Along the\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\/05\/410149e411d7b6dda50ce5a25f483858.jpg?fit=375%2C750&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5470,"url":"https:\/\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/pain-and-pressure-is-a-must-in-life\/","url_meta":{"origin":5602,"position":5},"title":"Pain and pressure is a must in life","author":"walking shadow poetry kenya","date":"March 17, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"I used to have excuses. Plenty of them. To say, If my parents had done better\u2026 If my background was different\u2026 If my friends had supported me\u2026 And for a long time, those reasons sounded good in my head. But time has a way of sitting you down and speaking\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Art&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Art","link":"https:\/\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/SPOKENWORDSandMODERNDAYPOETRY\/art\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/474A9026-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/474A9026-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/474A9026-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/474A9026-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/474A9026-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5602","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=5602"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5602\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5604,"href":"https:\/\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5602\/revisions\/5604"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5603"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5602"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5602"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/walkingshadowpoetry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5602"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}