I’ve learned to not walk in your shoes
The ones where you took them off in the club
The ones where you didn’t get your feet rubbed by a lover
The ones where you ran away from all that loved you
The ones where you stepped on glass and didn’t understand you were protected
I’ve learned to not walk in shoes
That didn’t belong to me anyway
I learned to not walk in shoes because they didn’t get me closer to you
I learned that your shoes held memories
I never wanted to have
But needed.
I learned from your shoes how much you love yourself
How much you punish yourself for loving others
I learned how much you’re willing to give and give
Until you’re depleted
I have learned from your shoes
With love:that this world has mistreated your heart
Held it in their hands and called you
“BABY. You know nothing.”
And yet you’ve walked in so many hoe’s
And yet I’ve walked in yours
And I still see that I love you
I love your scars
I love your sadness
I love your happiness
I love how you love
Even when the love hasn’t been returned to you
So, my love.
I want you to know that I would walk in your shoes again
And again
And again
Until we meet at a crossroads
Between time and space
And I would trade shoes with you
Just so we can be close again
I love you
And I want to rub your feet
The ones that are tired of running from the love you give
So. You too can feel like love
Because you always have been
Running from yourself.
Rest your heart, your mind.
Your Soul
Your shoes
Your spirit
With me.
Allow me to be with you
You beautiful soul
With feet made to fit the palms of my hands
I will always walk in your shoes.
Til the end of time.
This piece beautifully expresses a deep, empathetic love, acknowledging the pain and journey of another while offering unwavering support and connection.
what is life? life that’s heavily filled with mistakes and blessings but most of all intelligible lessons
you choose a certain route that you believe is the right way to go but deep, intensely down inside you know there’s a dead zone
approaching really and mighty slow you still take your time to believe to do what’s right but what’s right when two wrongs can’t make a right, up there look! at the left light you finally realized there was a yellow light all of this time but you still decided to speed on up right?
through and bright like the red light see this is why we have to accept things we cannot change the stop sign is only there for it’s own specific gain
which is for you to abide by and not potentially meant to be changed but change we expect to always fluctuate but are you ready?
to build up and mouton because you expect for things to always go your way but when human beings aren’t meant for you trust me you won’t have to over think double checking if you’re actually coherent in your own brain
the brain that allows for you to grow and change within all the impossible says and impossible many ways
another thing this isn’t a Marco Polo game stop choosing what chooses you listen don’t get offended
I’m talking about the venomous snake that’s in the grass that you live in, that you walked in with your own two feet without looking down to find yourself nothing to see
see the tricks that many sour candies can cause that you eat which is always sour than sweet but this life is created for everyone including you and me
but i can only talk not preach
this is your lesson, your mistakes, your testimony, your personal journey made just for you to experience and even see
My message to the world would be simple. We as humankind must understand that we are not control of anything. Life happens we are on our own individual assignments. And what happens along our journey is predestined there are events that are out of control, the death of someone close , why are some able to stay and others leave this world much too soon Who we love and nurture we don’t get to choose our families, we become apart of them and they apart of us. We can’t control a person’s thoughts. And how they feel about you as much as we want them to love us , they choose not to. When can only take our thoughts captive. The journey of life is tedious and captivating . That’s not to say that are robotic we feel emotions , we strive for better in our individual ways. But at the end of everyday the fact remains we are just micro fragments in scheme of life. And we control nothing.
In the backdrop of the Wasatch mountains, a little askew from where life zooms by at 80 miles per hour, I stood with my friend on a trail, panting and staring up at a starkly blue sky. I was trying to find peace while he was droning on about the dramas of his dating life—of this twenty-two-year-old girl he was in love with and her inability to choose him. I think there was something about a forty-one-year-old preying on her, that she was letting it happen, and my own thoughts about youthfulness—about how she wasn’t at an age to know what it was she wanted. I kicked a rock and thought about how long we had been hiking, about how long he had been talking.
But did I know what it was that I wanted? After all, I had come to the mountains to breathe in the slowness, and I had selected terrible company for that goal. I’m twenty-eight but there’s not much difference between twenty-two and me, when my grandparents of eighty-three are smashing cake into each other’s mouths to celebrate sixty years of companionship. Even in their experience, they still don’t always know what it is they want for dinner that night.
My grandparents have experienced a treasure chest full of life, but life expands farther than their sheltered, walled in realm of Utah. Their treasure chest is their microcosm, their eighty years. A good microcosm, but not quite enough to have life “figured out.”
That was how my friend put it when he was relenting to my questions about this young girl he wanted to love. She thinks, at twenty-two, that she has life figured out. That she knows what this forty-one-year-old wants when he says he could see himself marrying her. I told my friend that he didn’t have life figured out either. No one did—not even ninety-year-old men who had seen everything under the sun. If they had seen war and read hundreds of books and maneuvered great political events in history, if they had lived to one-hundred-and-ten—
They still wouldn’t have life figured out. Because life is bigger than them.
The hiking trail I stood on with my dog and my friend and my backpack full of water was a microcosm in itself. It was a sliver of the greater planet that had eons of history embedded in it. It was a fleeting conversation between friends on the matter of life and love, truly young minds trying to grasp something abstract about living that they’ll never be able to grasp. Not a single person on this Earth has life figured out, and probably won’t until death.
From where I started to where I am now, helped me realize how quickly we can arrive at our destinations.
Soon after, these destinations become pit stops on the journey to our next location.
We rarely stop to take in all that we accomplished, and rush to do or be more.
I often remind myself to ‘lighten up,’ as I know I am walking in the right direction.
Sometimes I feel as though time is just passing me by while I stand in place.
Then I look back and realize I’m in a spot I once longed for.
Be sure to stop and acknowledge all you have accomplished so far, and use that as motivation to further yourself.
We are forever evolving and there is no time frame for growth. Embrace your journey with a whole heart and at your own pace.
You learn later that the adults never learn later
That they keep smoking
And the bottles are just now hidden under their beds
That the salts and sugars on the soul food never lessen
And their parents arguing still lives in their heads
That the morals you grew up with just must be the ones that lay in your casket
Says your grandmother “that ain’t how you were raised…”
But your roll your eyes
gripping the neck of your bottle of wine
Learn that the adults never learn later
I think that as kids, we think, or maybe we hope, that adults all have life figured out – only to realize they are all too human. Many carry pain and unhealed trauma from a past that you may or may not know about. I think the key is figuring out how to make sure other people’s issues and problems don’t become your own and that you take the steps…read more
In your heart,
the glee will never feel as
heavy as the agony.
That’s the whole point.
Imagine your happiest whim
weighing your shoulders down,
pressing your chin into soft skin.
You can’t.
Joy is the ultimate release of pressure.
If you are crushed
by something you love,
it’s not a desire.
It’s an obsession.
The duality of suffering is so fascinating to me. Mainly because It shapes a huge chunk of my existence. Life and death, addiction and sobriety, heartbreak and unconditional love. I’ve lived these all simultaneously. The pain of my suffering doesn’t go away nor can it be replaced, but the joy and compassion I feel from loved ones brings a whole new experience to my life. I’m grateful for the ones I love, and the shoulders I cry on. The laughter and smiles I witness, and the ones they get out of me. Thank you to those who laugh with me at 2am, and eat breakfast with me in bed. The friends who have shown me what the meaning of family truly is.
Suffering is existential, but it doesn’t always have to be that we are inherently in pain. This duality of Yin and Yang, the two sides of one coin, light and dark, pain and pleasure; it’s all the same concept. It is all Oneness. I believe if you can grasp the idea of your suffering having two personalities, two timelines within the same universe, and embrace both as passionately and sincerely as you can then that is when growth and healing develop. In my experiences through trauma and unexpected life changes, I have become aware of the fact that when I embraced only the discomfort of that suffering, I did not move forward. I moved deeper into a darker place. A place ten times harder to escape than the initial event. As I’ve progressed in life, spiritually and psychologically, to be specific, I’ve learned to accept the happiness and joys as well. Not denying myself the opportunity to laugh at a friend’s joke, to smile at a loved one, to make memories that leave a everlasting glow on my heart.
I’ve encountered life changing deaths of loved ones throughout my, now, 28 years of living. Losing my mother was heartbreaking. I fell deep into darkness. A hole I have been digging myself out of for 13 years. My best friend passed away recently this year, 2024, and that shoved me right back down. But something was different this time. I’m older, I’ve done a lot of spiritual and psychological healing and I refuse to live in fear again. The duality of my healing has had a profound impact on my mental health and my motivation for life itself.
Instead of just focusing on the depression and letting it control and consume me, I have learned to redirect my energy towards things that are productive but bring a sense of calmness to my body and mind. The most interesting aspect of this transition, that I’ve experienced, is that when I’ve written a poem, using it as a tool for healing, my words are quite melancholic and heavy hearted; yet I felt an immense sense of accomplishment and peace. This is a testament of the ability to heal and grow through the chains of suffering. To have a clear set of opposing perspectives on what it means to suffer and embracing both simultaneously. To break this down in simpler terms, the message of my poem may be full of my pain and trauma but it’s the act of writing that causes me to experience joy and peace at the same time. The darkness within my writing is one of the biggest forms of my inner healing.
I’ve embraced the duality of suffering. I have learned to harness the dichotomy of grief and growth and create a sense of oneness. I implore you to challenge your fears, learn to embrace the darkness through the light and harness the power that resides within you. Feel your pain and simultaneously experience peace by turning that energy into an action of productivity and passion.
I have learned that living is all about balance. That we are all just a scale constantly teetering and shifting weight.
It is up to us to keep that weight stable and maintain the symmetry of life.
I agree that there is a duality with pain and suffering. The pain teaches you a lesson. It’s hard to grasp that when you are in that moment. Looking inside and finding that message is a strong motivator. To find the balance in the negative events that ripple and have a positive effect.
Dear Unsealed readers;
You may find my letter cliche in its content. The roller coaster I’ve been on since my illness, I assure you is compelling fiction. Growing up we are told to be grateful and appreciate what we have. I never truly understood that life lesson until I got sick.
Starting my 30’s already stressful. Add an extremely unplanned pregnancy after 8 years of just me and my son! Topped with a move, promotion, and progressing strange medical issues. Fast forward 7 years, surviving breast cancer every day. Along with navigating my life around my paralysis due to a rare side effect of cancer, Paraneoplastic Syndrome. Both my children live with my mom, who I’m grateful for. It’s the smaller things we forget as a “normal able body” person. I’m talking about things even as I type them that seem silly; using the bathroom when and where you want, standing up on your own, wiping your own vagina, driving, stairs, not being limited to public places because of stairs or small doors! Don’t get me wrong, I have always been a person who appreciated and was grateful for everything. My lesson is to show your gratitude and appreciation. Telling people in your life how much they mean to you. Thank often!
Ok man! I’ve had enough! I tap out!
My bells ringing. I lost that bout.
Still standing though, I’m hell of tough.
But for fucks sake that life’s rough.
Broken dreams and battle scars.
Shredded tears, behind jail bars.
I may be down now, but I can rise.
I will rise and I’ll claim my prize.
Grass stained shirt.
Blood in the dirt
Blown out veins.
Yet the memories remain.
Flip and flop.
On this climb to the top.
These bones might break.
But this hope you can’t take.
This round might be over.
But the match I haven’t lost
Dust the dirt off my shoulder.
And win at all cost.
Twelfth round or twelfth hour.
Never quit. Release the power.
My seeds rooted. Dug real deep.
With God’s grace I rose to my feet.
Delivered the blow.
Knocked out cold.
Sent the pain below.
And lived to be told.
When life is abrupt.
Shit starts to erupt.
Stay strong. Don’t tap.
And never ever give up.
Now that I look in the mirror and I can contemplate all my versions of the past at the same time, Now that I can see myself in my own reflexes of when I was 8, 13, 16 and 20 years old and I find the tears without drying on my face And I see the doubts sprouting in my eyes, and I can smell the frustration, and my skin bristles when the past touches my neck with the uncertainty that stole my air then… Now that I’m 24 years old and I don’t regret anything, I would like to send me letters disguised as hugs through the mirror, Letters that say that although some pains do not go away, I was able to turn them into parts of the road, steps that helped me overcome obstacles. I want to hug those girls and tell them that we published our first book of poetry, and the second and third and those that followed; And I will have to confess that in the end, although we enjoy university and fall in love with academic writing and see our name and our words published in international magazines, we were not mistaken when we decided to leave that path. I want my hug to tell my previous versions that we did it and we were happy, we were happy when we made community short films, when we lost the fear of speaking in public; That we were happy when they recognized my face on the street and thanked me for my poems. I want my hug to tell those girls with flooded eyes, with suicide in the head, with nightmares about abuse, with the addition to the cigarette and with the traumas, that everything happens, that we become Ele Vergara, That although grandpa is no longer there, I would see this woman with pride and that we find every day, paths that tie us to life.
When I was low,
My heart filled with sorrow
I thought I was alone,
I found out I was wrong
For friends and family were there
To share in my unknown
We are many, we are one
Our wounds can heal, together as one
We share our stories so we can learn
Our broken hearts can be re-spun
We can open up to those around
And find the courage to be unbound
Let us come together, in love and trust
To heal our wounds and heal our hearts
We can speak our truth and stand in our power
No more secrets, no more cower
We help each other heal,
Our hearts and souls to mend
We share our stories,
Our joy and our pain,
So I’m grateful for the love we share,
For the healing we can bring
We are connected in everything
For the comfort found in knowing
We are never truly alone.
This is the time.
Stop waiting for payday, to lose 5 more pounds, for next year, when the kids are a little older, when you have more time off from work, for the holidays, to send that text, make that call, tell them how you feel, apologize, give that hug, make that leap, ask for help, quit your job, get that divorce, to eat the cake, to buy the dress, put on the bathing suit, laugh, love, live. This is the time.
In this election season filled with strife,
Don’t let your Christian testimony wane in life.
Amidst the chaos and political game,
Let your faith and kindness remain the same.
For belief without action is empty and vain,
A hollow shell, with nothing to gain.
So let us not be swayed by those who deceive,
But follow the Word, in Him, always believe.
Two candidates may stir the nation’s flame,
But don’t let your actions tarnish your Christian name.
Ask yourself, would Jesus act in this way?
He died for us all, let that guide what you say.
For most, Those candidates don’t even know your name
So why lose friends and family, what’s there to gain?
Jesus turned the tables in the temple, not outside.
So why be so quick to judge when in him you abide.
No matter the outcome, no matter the claim,
Let your light shine bright, let love be your aim.
In this election season’s wild acclaim,
Keep your Christian testimony, don’t let it be tamed.
You are stronger and wiser than you know
Your thoughts are stalking you
do not queue any hue that’s not meant for you
People’s opinions of you are their own.
You are stronger than you were yesterday.
continue to forgive yourself for not being able to control the horrific actions of others.
Self-love is necessary for your healing.
It is putting you back together whole and true.
forgive any past actions by acknowledging how they have not served you well.
You will continue to trust the process and your progress.
You will not let the fear of being taken advantage of scare you to stillness.
You will stand up for yourself and tell the truth.
You will do it with dignity and respect.
You will be vulnerable even when it makes you uncomfortable.
Dear Unsealed,
I have learned so many things about life. I will be 75 years old on September 18, 2024. I have seen it all, the good, the bad, the ugly and still move forward with life for as long as I can live out my life with my disabilities of getting old. My brain works well, but my body has slowed down a lot since I had covid 2021.
The major life lesson I have learned is that I should not let guys talk me into fast romance or marriage or moving in on the third date. That may sound ‘wacky,’ but it truly is more helpful to not be boy crazy beginning at 8 years old. I had my first boyfriend at 8 years old. His name was Eric. He was in my second-grade class. We were friends so I thought, then he broke up with me. I ran into my parents’ house crying like a baby. Mom thought that I was physically hurt. I yelled at her, “Mom, Eric broke up with me. He told me to leave him alone. He did not like me. My hair was too curly. I was so upset, mom, I peed in my pants.” Mom looked at me rolling her eyes, tossed her head back, “My dear child, it’s going to be okay. Eric and his parents are moving to New York City next week. Eric broke up with you because he is a baby too and that is the only way he knew to move without hurting you. You have your whole life ahead of you, Vicki.” I sighed, “Okay mom.”
Growing up in eight decades, I kept falling in love and out of love not learning my lessons. My advice to the world is to continue your education. Do not let a ‘dude’ talk to you out of going to college. Do not let jealous people knock your dreams into the dirt. More than once the person trying to crush your dreams is a jealous, fearful person who does not care about you. Follow your dreams of life and focus on yourself as a woman. One needs to love oneself to fully love someone another human being as to live with another human being.
I was raped at 16 years old by five guys on the football team. I had to sweep it under the rug and try to wash away the scariest party night I had ever experienced. The guys were calling me an Indian squaw, stupid ‘whore’, and yelling, “You are no good.” I was devastated.
I kept dating men but had not learned the lesson that I did not need a man.
I studied art, journalism, Business union management, computers, and other subjects of interest. Boys were always barking up my tree. I should have been pickier or just lived by myself.
I married in the 80s. I had no plans for marriage at 30 nor to have children at that time. He swindled me into marrying him and having babies. The lesson I learned from that disastrous marriage is we had nothing in common and I should have ignored the ‘dude’.
We divorced, but I remarried an artist this time. That ended in April 2000 in domestic violence,
After we divorced, I had all these musicians barking up my alley. I followed one to Austin, Texas. I left an excellent job in computers with good retirement. He moved back to LA, and I stayed because my auntie was in her 90s and I wanted to be with her. A lesson from this is my family in Austin were strangers to me. I had not seen them in 40 years. Never move across country on a whim to follow a ‘dude’ to his destiny when it’s probably not your destiny. Check your family out that are strangers and only remember you as a little curly headed throwing tantrums child. Just because they are family does not mean they are your best friend.
I got involved with a ‘dude’ who moved in with me after the third date. I do not advise anyone to do that. I collaborated with the man.
My letter will end here as the chapters of my life are extensive with heartache, pain, joy, laughs, and life ‘happens’ experiences.
My final note to the world is, “As a woman please do not let men interfere with your beauty or your well-being. If they show one bit of jealousy or start dictating your life to you, walk away before the years pass and you say at 74, “OMG! I wish I would ‘of’ or could ‘of’ known about life before all those broken relationships of wrongdoing men ever came into fruition. Watch for red flags to not get involved with a narcissist person period.”
If I could send a message across sea to shining sea,
How would I convey my advice in just one piece?
What have I learned in this short life so dear,
That is important for everyone to hear?
I suppose it would be to cherish each moment,
The good, the bad, and those moments hard to bear.
Laugh and be present, and cry in your grief,
Follow your dreams and never look back in disbelief.
Love with a heart that fears nothing at all,
Give freely of yourself and let others give in return.
Hug your loved ones tighter each day,
And thank God for another moment they stay.
Cherish the heartbeat of an unborn child,
Learn from the old soul, who offers a final smile.
Take it from someone who has loved and lost,
This unbearable grief of a child’s loss.
Live each moment as if they can see,
And make yourself proud of the person you’d want them to be.
Remember, in an instant, life can be gone,
So cherish it deeply before it’s withdrawn.
My message to the world is never let your trauma, injustice, and loss turn your heart cold. I am no stranger to these things, and I’m sure you aren’t either we all have different types of trauma we carry. Though some are more intense than others, we all take damage from these events. I believe the world nowadays lacks compassion, accountability, and inner healing. Once we dig within we understand even the ones who hurt us the most (not excusing the trauma) have deep wounds within they never healed and, therefore bled onto you. We often turn that pain into anger and resentment towards everything in our lives, and carry that hate deep within and untentionally hurting those we love. Imagine a scab you constantly pick at, but never fully let heal and recover. It leaves a nastier scar and insecurity. As much as we want to hide our pain and pretend we are fine, are we? we are easily triggered and defensive because the pain we never healed from just buried and resurfaces at any given time. often leaving us feeling regretful of our actions, because we know how that pain feels. I urge us to heal within ourselves to be an example of light, hope, and joy through darkness. I was a very angry, misunderstood, and lonely child. I grew up in an environment unthinkable to any child, and I can hardly remember those traumatic years. I cried alone in my closet and screamed to be understood, I’d seek attention in many ways and even turned to religion before my mom passed in 2016. I experienced addiction and then my dad’s passing in 2022, which caused me and my family of 3 to relocate and go cold turkey. I understand everything I have experienced has taught me and helped me help those around me. As I heal and learn I carry wisdom and advice to those who later in life suffer the same events. I refuse to hold all this pain and let it make me the mean girl, and I had to look at myself in the mirror and tell myself it’s you vs you, It’s time to heal. Hurting others wasn’t healing my wounds, seeking validation I’d never get was serving me no good, and pointing fingers was serving no purpose to my higher good. Our mental health and overall growth are in our own hands, you choose how you want to carry on in life. I wasn’t going to wallow away in my pain. I was turning it into power and determination to find that peace within I longed for. We must face the shadows most hide from, and learn to live in harmony with our shadow self and light. We can be good people and set boundaries for our highest good, whether that’s family or friends. We can stand up for ourselves and speak our minds using our throat chakra most try to block. We can be love and light while working with our shadows to help us not be walked over in this life. We determine if we let our trauma make us who we are and if we allow it to shape our relationships because we never learned to heal our wounds so we hurt those we love not knowing how to properly love in the first place. You must love yourself first and commit yourself to this healing and I promise you will find over time the spark, confidence, and joy to reenter your life. You are capable of being the light and the person who makes people’s day simply because your energy is so bright and magnetic. I used to be the angry, mean, and sad girl and I decided enough is enough. I held myself accountable for times I hurt people while hurting, I forgave people who never gave me an apology, and I cut family off and friends who no longer served the higher self I was becoming. It was hard and I cried so many nights asking God to make it all stop, but I asked for this journey to self-improvement, and that meant losing everything in my way. I won’t sit here and pretend it’s a cakewalk, I want you to understand this is hard, but so rewarding in the end. There is so much darkness in this world due to people not healing, thus family lines suffering for generations till someone unloads all the trauma. You can be a kind, loving, and able person of light. Some use their past as a crutch, and an excuse to hurt others because they hurt. You can be the example of transmuting all that into love for yourself, and believing you deserve good things your story can be different.
Your words resonate with me. Sometimes it can be challenging to recognize the damage being caused when we are inside looking out. I hope you find healing from any hurt you’ve encountered.
This piece beautifully expresses a deep, empathetic love, acknowledging the pain and journey of another while offering unwavering support and connection.
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