I used to apologize for surviving out loud,
For carrying confidence as if it owed somebody rent.
Made myself smaller so fragile egos felt tall,
Smiled through disrespect like peace was heaven-sent.
But pressure changed me.
Pain taught me every “sorry” ain’t sincere—
Some are just bandages people wrap around the truth
Hoping accountability disappears.
I said sorry when I loved too hard,
Sorry when I worked too late,
Sorry for needing honesty,
Sorry for noticing the fake.
Hell, I apologized for outgrowing rooms
That kept confusing loyalty with control.
Like I was wrong for protecting my spirit
After people kept taxing my soul.
Now?
I sleep fine.
Real fine.
Some bridges deserved the fire.
Some exits deserved no speech.
And some people only call you arrogant
When your boundaries move out of their reach.
I've carried too many folks on my back
Just to hear them question my heart.
Fed people from hands still bleeding
Then watched them criticize the scarred parts.
No more.
If loving myself sounds unfamiliar to you,
That ain’t my burden to bear.
I spent years drowning quietly
Just to make broken people comfortable there.
So when I walk away calm now,
Understand—it took hell to get this peace.
And I’m not apologizing for healing
Just because my growth made access decrease.
Sorry, not sorry.
The old me died exhausted.
And this version finally learned
That self-respect costs less than self-betrayal.
May 8
May 8, 2026 at 3:50 PM UTC
I used to apologize for surviving out loud,
For carrying confidence as if it owed somebody rent.
Made myself smaller so fragile egos felt tall,
Smiled through disrespect like peace was heaven-sent.
But pressure changed me.
Pain taught me every “sorry” ain’t sincere—
Some are just bandages people wrap around the truth
Hoping accountability disappears.
I said sorry when I loved too hard,
Sorry when I worked too late,
Sorry for needing honesty,
Sorry for noticing the fake.
Hell, I apologized for outgrowing rooms
That kept confusing loyalty with control.
Like I was wrong for protecting my spirit
After people kept taxing my soul.
Now?
I sleep fine.
Real fine.
Some bridges deserved the fire.
Some exits deserved no speech.
And some people only call you arrogant
When your boundaries move out of their reach.
I've carried too many folks on my back
Just to hear them question my heart.
Fed people from hands still bleeding
Then watched them criticize the scarred parts.
No more.
If loving myself sounds unfamiliar to you,
That ain’t my burden to bear.
I spent years drowning quietly
Just to make broken people comfortable there.
So when I walk away calm now,
Understand—it took hell to get this peace.
And I’m not apologizing for healing
Just because my growth made access decrease.
Sorry, not sorry.
The old me died exhausted.
And this version finally learned
That self-respect costs less than self-betrayal.
Sorry Not Sorry” reads like a man who has finally stopped negotiating his worth for acceptance. The strongest aspect of the poem is its emotional restraint—there’s frustration here, but it’s disciplined frustration. The poem understands that growth sometimes looks cold to people who benefited from your self-sacrifice.
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