Introduction
Written in January 2024, this poem explores the difficult transition from unconditional empathy to healthy discernment. It reflects a period of recognizing patterns of manipulation, learning to establish boundaries, and accepting that kindness does not require endless self-sacrifice.
Rather than celebrating distrust, the poem documents the process of rebuilding self-respect after repeatedly questioning my own judgment. It moves from vulnerability and disillusionment toward grit and personal agency, ending not with revenge, but with the decision to protect my peace.
Saturn Return
Poetry • January 24, 2024
Karma and naivety,
They always get the best of me,
Empathy in the driver's seat,
Makes me think that I can see,
All the hurt they hide from me.
But what you see is what they show,
And what they want,
You'll never know.
Once they get you in their sights,
They'll have you begging for your life,
But first they'll wait and play the game,
They'll put a curse upon your name,
And find some way that you're to blame.
Until you realize what they stole,
They'll play their hand,
Until you fold.
You won't ever see their knife,
They won't roar with lion's might,
But hide within a sea of stripes,
Waiting for the time to strike.
But that's the way it's been designed,
Make you question your own mind.
They call you great,
And say you're kind,
And then they'll smile
While they rob you blind.
What seems like freedom,
Is only mirage.
Have you think you're free, then,
It's just sabotage.
When Eve saw the forbidden tree,
She did not know of trickery,
Until she'd doomed humanity.
She heard no voice warn of misery,
Only a slithering of tongue,
"What's the harm of eating one?"
I've learned now,
To trust no one,
And I've seen how,
These things run.
No rest for the wicked,
No golden ticket,
It doesn't matter if you're sick, and,
They'll wear you down until you've submitted.
They'll drip sweetness from their lips,
And you can taste it in their kiss,
But once they get you in their grips,
Their honey turns to foam,
And they'll drown you in your home.
They'll say that you just slipped,
Say it's your fault that they hit.
Cheat at every trick they treat
And then they'll wash your feet,
And blame it on a "two way street".
Now, I do all things through spite,
Which strengthens me.
Because I know, I know,
Wrong from right,
But don't ever think that I won't fight.
I've learned not to snarl before I bite.
Now, I am my priority,
I am not your property,
I'm at peace, internally,
And I walk powerfully,
Learned to land gracefully,
What's meant to be, will be.
And what's meant for me,
Will come peacefully.
And that's just how things go, so,
I plan my moves, and take it slow.
I still have room to grow,
Making the goal for flow,
requires you to let go.
I'm the living proof,
I speak my own truth.
I always try to walk in the light,
But don't think that I won't fight.
I've just learned to smile, until I smite.
So, now, I got my demons,
And you got your reasons,
But it's time for a change of season.
All your words, I won't heed em.
I just really don't believe them.
You still cast that stone.
You can cry, and scream,
bitch and moan,
But I'll never pick up the fucking phone.
Don't want to live the same time zone,
But you won't ever push me off my throne.
Saturn's in return,
I'm my only concern.
Call it what you will, call it treason,
I'd rather watch it burn,
Than bleed to please em.
Behind the Work
Unlike many of my other poems, this piece relies less on abstract imagery and more on direct language, recurring refrains, and recognizable archetypes. References to familiar symbols to explore deception, temptation, personal responsibility, and transformation.
Reflection
Looking back, I see this poem as documenting an important shift in my thinking. Earlier pieces often wrestled with questions of identity, grief, and meaning, while this one turns toward boundaries, discernment, and pattern recognition. It asks what happens when empathy is offered without limits and what remains after that trust has been broken.
Although my perspective has continued to evolve, I still recognize the lesson at the heart of the poem: compassion is most sustainable when it is paired with self-respect. Learning to protect my own well-being didn't diminish my empathy; it gave me healthier boundaries.
Work Details
Written: January 24, 2024
Medium: Free-verse poetry • Spoken Word Influence
Primary Themes: Boundaries • Manipulation/Gaslighting • Self Respect • Trust/Betrayal • Psychological Evolution
Literary Devices: Internal rhyme • Repetition • Alliteration • Refrain • Biblical Symbolism • Conversational Cadence • Parallel Structure
Related Works: Sacred Navigator, The Gravity of Duality, Fractal Future
This piece is one chapter in a much larger story.
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