Letters From A Stranger

Share this post

The Text I Didn't Send

www.lettersfromastranger.com

Discover more from Letters From A Stranger

A digital journal by writer, photographer, and podcast host, Nneka Julia.
Over 4,000 subscribers
Continue reading
Sign in

The Text I Didn't Send

Are you not tired?

Nneka Julia
Aug 15, 2023
123
Share this post

The Text I Didn't Send

www.lettersfromastranger.com
30
Share

The Text I Didn’t Send
at 9:05 am on 8/8/23

Photo taken by Nneka Julia in Lisbon, Portugal (2023) on 35mm film.

Are you not tired?

Of standing for nothing
Of falling for everything
Of walking the 100 miles in Mary Olivers’ poem
suffering, repenting, on the soft of your knees
Of making men your center
Of only reaching for pleasure
Of running from discomfort
Of fighting yourself
Of fooling yourself
Of blaming everyone else
Of envy eating your insides
Of your word being worthless
Of affirmation without action
Of changing your avatar more than your behavior
Of begging strangers for validation
Of posting a selfie
Of posting a self-care quote
Of posting a selfie and a self-care quote in a photo dump
Of counting the likes
Of refreshing the likes
Of hiding the likes
Of hoping it makes you whole
Of weaponizing vulnerability
Of pretending the mask will last
Of pretending the bridges built by aesthetics will hold
Of saying “it’s not that deep”
Of claiming you want “legacy”
Of claiming you want “community”
Of claiming you want “accountability”
Of claiming you care
Of laughing when they say laugh
Of clapping when they say clap
Of denying the dark
Of never questioning
Of rarely reciprocating
Of being terrified to stumble
Of being terrified to try
Of being terrified to be seen
Of doing the same gotdamn thing over and over
hoping, expecting, demanding
a different result

Are you not tired?

Letters From A Stranger is a reader-supported publication. To support this space, consider becoming a free or paid babe :)

123
Share this post

The Text I Didn't Send

www.lettersfromastranger.com
30
Share
30 Comments
Share this discussion

The Text I Didn't Send

www.lettersfromastranger.com
Brittany
Aug 15Liked by Nneka Julia

Nnekaaaaa ♥️♥️♥️♥️ your timing is impeccable. Almost every line speaks to me as I come out of a deep sad something. Thank you for sharing 😍

Expand full comment
Reply
Share
1 reply by Nneka Julia
Samerah
Writes Samerah’s Substack
Aug 15Liked by Nneka Julia

Timely but ouch👏🏾😩

Expand full comment
Reply
Share
1 reply by Nneka Julia
28 more comments...
Top
New
Community

No posts

Ready for more?

© 2023 Nneka Julia
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start WritingGet the app
Substack is the home for great writing