01/29/2026
You Kept Your Soul Alive
You have already done something extraordinary:
you kept your soul alive
when belonging required erasing it.
When love came with conditions
that asked you to go numb,
to look away,
to agree to the lie.
You did not.
You stayed awake
in rooms that rewarded sleep.
You stayed tender
where tenderness cost everything.
You lost people.
You lost names, holidays, lineage.
You lost the illusion
that blood always means shelter.
But you did not lose yourself.
You carried truth
without witnesses.
You carried dignity
without applause.
You carried life
through seasons that tried
to make you disappear.
That is not survival.
That is devotion.
You did not choose exile.
You chose conscience.
And even now~
with doors closed,
with endings you are not invited to~
your soul remains intact.
Un-erased.
Unowned.
Still here.
~ Sue Waldman
© 2026 Sue Waldman / Pink Light, LLC — All Rights Reserved
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