Self Respect Poem
Eventually, the day comes
Eventually, you realise
Eventually, you can’t ignore
All of those little lies
The ones you told yourself
To explain someone’s actions
The ones you told others
To ease their frustrated reactions
You look at what you have done
In the hope that things would change
You finally realise nothing did
And you weren’t all that strange
But in the midst of chaos
You tried to weather the storm
And whilst you were barely surviving
Nothing could change the prevailing norm
When you finally realise the truth
Your world suddenly implodes
For your heart was bigger than your mind
As you stand at the ultimate crossroads
Going back is no longer an option
And sideways won’t help either
The only path you can choose
Is onwards with self-respect as your leader
Yes, you can observe
Yes, you can listen
But when its your turn to speak
Don’t let anyone assume a given
Be prepared to stand your ground
With gentleness and care
To truly respect yourself
You need to be aware
When you are being disrespected
When you are being vilified
When your intention was misconstrued
Or when someone simply lied
Yes there are many sides to a story
And details are often murky
But communication is the key
Even with someone who is grumpy
And if you reach a stalemate
And nothing whatsoever works
It’s time to pause and reflect
To prevent any further hurt
For that is self-respect
The moment when you pause
To give yourself a chance
To uphold your life’s cause
When you reach this juncture
Don’t beat yourself up with regret
For underneath this current pain
Is a future you can direct
In my very first full time job in a bank, I received excellent training, both in group sessions and on-the-job. I gathered excellent discernment skills and these increased even further when I attended an Assertiveness Skills Course.
However, there have been some people in my life who I have supported despite various other people suggesting I should stop. But I have persisted based on my own beliefs about the roles they have in my life.
Sadly, I have now realised that somewhere along my life’s journey, in these specific relationships, I was treated dis-respectfully and I did not stand up for myself because I was trying to ‘keep the peace.’
But it is never too late to change.
One of the best ways for me to process a significant realisation is to write about it.
My sincerest hope is that it will resonate with someone who has found themselves in a similar situation and provide some solace.
Forever the optimist, I have decided to process my grief and be much more selective about what I do going forward and reinforce some very clear boundaries.
Yes, I will maintain communication with these people (after a short break), but it will be in alignment with my values, not their disrespect. With love, Sue Ellson 🙂
#selfrespect #SueEllson #SueEllsonPoem #poem #poetry
Photo in the poem is of buildings in Perth, Western Australia on 21 November 2025.
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