I’ve spent a lot of time convincing myself that if I just gave a little more, cared a little harder, or waited a little longer the scale will eventually balance out. We call it patience and loyalty but, there is an exhausting threshold you cross when you realize you are the only one doing the work.
Sometimes the hardest truth to swallow isn’t that someone let you down, but admitting how long you stood at their door hoping they’d finally open it.
This poetic remedy is for the ones who kept showing up for people who never showed up for them.
you showed up.
even when they didn’t.
even when you had to talk yourself into it
standing at the door
of someone who never once
came looking for you.
you called it love
and maybe it was.
but love was never supposed to live
only in your hands.
never supposed to be something
you carried alone
to someone else’s door.
somewhere in the waiting
you started to disappear.
making yourself smaller
making excuses for them
mistaking their absence
for something you had caused.
you didn’t cause it.
some people don’t know how to show up
and that has nothing to do
with how worthy you are
of being shown up for.
put down the door you’ve been knocking on.
there are people in this world
who would walk through fire
just to sit beside you.
go find them.
—
Debra King
Beautiful Things Grow Here
Wishing you a soft place to rest, and a night that treats you gently..
Today, I’m turning around and walking away from the doors that don’t open. I’m reminding myself that love isn’t a test I have to pass by giving until I’m empty, and that my worth isn’t decided by someone else’s inability to show up.
What is a door you’ve been knocking on for way too long? Let’s share in the comments.
I would love to welcome you into our paid community.
When you upgrade, you unlock:
The Audio Remedies: Twice-monthly private audio breakdowns where I share the deeper metaphors, stories, and trauma-informed “why” behind the poems.
Somatic Prompts: Practical, body-focused creative writing exercises.
The Mini-Series: Full access to all specialized therapeutic poetry courses, like Tending the Soil: Somatic Writing for High Anxiety.
Your support directly sustains this space and allows me to keep sharing these words. Thank you. 💕
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.