Rejected Poem
Rejected
Ejected
Dejected
Forlorn
No longer
Needed
Wanted
Desired
Or warned
Just left
Abandoned
Waved goodbye
Lost, lonely
With tears in my eyes
Hurt deep within
Angry and sad
Wondering why
The hurt is so bad
Forced to move on
With a push not a prod
Reluctantly lurched
Further forward
Ready or not
Happy or mad
Change has happened
Can’t go back to what I had
My insides ache
My mind obsesses
My words are confused
My actions belated
Rejection changes
Beliefs and pride
Rejection reviews
Values and sides
In the dismay
Of fear and trepidation
I look beyond
What used to feel certain
If I can look
Beyond the grey clouds
I know that in time
I will lose old shrouds
Whilst some reject
Others accept
Just like I do
In my way too
Each time it happens
I will strengthen my resolve
To truly be me
And continue to evolve
As a gigster, who doesn’t have a full time job, I face a fair amount of rejection. Leads that go nowhere. Gigs that end. Fortunately, I attract most of my gigs through my use of technology and they end quite naturally. But over the years, I have had a wide variety of rejections – retrenchments, delayed starts, cancellations, shortened terms, you name it. In my personal life, I have been rejected and rejected others. I guess that is the nature of life.
When I wrote this poem on Tuesday, I was thinking about a gig that ended last Friday. As an avid consumer of online self-help, I have often heard the phrase ‘rejection is God’s protection.’ For some reason, this gives me the feeling that rejection is a powerless state and in most cases, I am not always ready to emotionally give up on what I perceive I have lost.
One of my biggest rejections occurred when I lost a full time job when I was pregnant in my late 20’s. I can confirm it took me six and a half years to get over it (and I had to go through a forgiveness process to finally release that rejection). However, it was also the catalyst for my foray into the online world and I have now been online for over 20 years and it has been an amazing ride.
So when I was processing my latest rejection, I dug deep and thought about what rejection really does for me. It stops me in my tracks (yes, I know, I am a bit over sensitive). But it also makes me review where I am at. I usually realise that I have received several signals that it is time to move on, but I have ignored them.
The rejection gives me a great big push instead of a prod. But the best part is, I have a chance to evolve. And that is what I wish for you. That if you feel rejected in any way, you find your own way forward and you grow and develop in an authentic and purposeful way as you move forward. With love, Sue Ellson 🙂
Photo is of a lemon tree in Canterbury, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia on 24 September 2021.
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