A Featured Poem by Kimberly “DuWaup” Bolden from her upcoming book, “SINCERELY DUWAUP”. She has been a world-renowned Spoken Word poet for over 19 years and has performed in venues all over the country and, virtually, around the world!

This, and other works from this talented poet and entrepreneur, can be obtained by pre-order at DuWaup.com

Expectations…

What do you do when the people around you have no clue how close you are to the edge?

When you’ve been the pillar of strength, the go-to for encouragement?

What would they do if they knew the pressure of perfection was heavy and hard to bear? 

Would they care that you struggle daily with insecurities and you aren’t as confident as you seem? 

What would they do if they knew that big beautiful smile was fake more than every once in a while?

…that it was just a placeholder holding onto hopes for a better day

a mask masking your true fear of failing, of not living up to what they perceive

What would they do if they knew there are dark places inside of you that sometimes surface?

…and sometimes you don’t even try to reject it

sometimes you welcome it, request it, desire it deeply.

What do you do when you feel like you’re falling but can’t let it show? 

…when it seems everyone you know is dependent on you to help them grow while you personally feel stunted

feeling like you’re stuck in a rut of questioning your own worthiness of them, of things, of blessings.

What would they say if they knew how far you’ve gone with people, with things, in conversation and acquaintance? 

What would they do if they knew you sometimes ache from bearing this banner of strength and uprightness? 

What if they knew you never wanted to bear it at all? 

Would they relieve you, release you from the bondage of presumption from presuming they know you?

from their unrealistic expectations, what would they do if they knew that your imagination sometimes gets the best of you?

that you imagine things that aren’t pure nor well-intended

What would they do if they knew you were on the edge and about to fall?

What if worrying about what they knew isn’t really worrying about them at all?

What if your questions are hedged around your own expectations?

What if you’re projecting your thoughts and feelings on others who simply believe in you because they believe you are capable, not perfect?

Maybe you’re giving yourself too much credit

thinking they might fall to pieces if they can’t find perfection in you

Maybe you’re the one placing more burden on yourself than you can bear

Maybe everyone already knows you’re human

that you exist in this flesh same as them

that you’re tried, tested, and tempted on every end

Maybe it’s your own expectations that leave you feeling less than worthy

Maybe you’re being unrealistic, irrational, illogical

because realistically there’s not one that hasn’t fallen along the path of this journey

No, not one

including you

tried, tested and proved

and maybe, just maybe they already knew

and they never expected perfection

and maybe you can now relieve yourself of the burden of this unrealistic, irrational, illogical expectation.

 – Kimberly “DuWaup” Bolden