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It’s not that I want to be a bad person— There are just too many bad people Trying to edge all the bad out of me... It’s not that I expect the worst from love— I’ve just experienced the worst out of love... It’s not that I don’t want to love someone— It’s the fear of loving someone who hasn’t Fully learned how to love themselves... It’s not that I make myself expensive— I just refuse to discount my worth, to meet Someone’s inflated expectations... _I’m not trying to mask my anxiety— I’m learning to master my patience._
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Jan 1
Jan 1, 2026 at 5:13 PM UTC
What Survival Sounds Like
It’s not that I want to be a bad person— There are just too many bad people Trying to edge all the bad out of me... It’s not that I expect the worst from love— I’ve just experienced the worst out of love... It’s not that I don’t want to love someone— It’s the fear of loving someone who hasn’t Fully learned how to love themselves... It’s not that I make myself expensive— I just refuse to discount my worth, to meet Someone’s inflated expectations... _I’m not trying to mask my anxiety— I’m learning to master my patience._
A reminder to myself that boundaries aren’t bitterness, caution isn’t coldness, and patience is learned—not assumed. This poem is about choosing self-respect over self-betrayal, and growth over reaction.
OddOdysseyPoet
Written by
27/M/Zimbabwe
Jan 1
Jan 1, 2026 at 5:13 PM UTC
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