Not My Shadow

A poem about legacy, strength, and the line that cannot be uncrossed

I was built from firewood and concrete, from buckets of water balanced on both arms, from fists that learned justice before mercy---because mercy was never offered to me first.

I fought not for pride, but for the quiet ones, the torn-shirt kids, the ranch-born, the ridiculed. I fought because silence was a wound and I had the strength to speak with my hands when no one else could.

Coralene carries my name like a shield, but she never earned the weight of it. 

She borrows my story to bluff her way through battles she never meant to finish.

She smiles when fear wins. I never smiled at fear--- I stared it down, gave it terms, and honored its retreat.

She thinks power is reputation. I know power is restraint.

She calls me her ticket. I call her my warning.

I told her: If you step into my fight, you’ll learn what it means to misuse a legacy.

She backed down. The girl backed down. And I stood still---not because I needed to win, but because I already had.

I am not Coralene’s shadow. I am the storm she mimics, the calm she doesn’t understand, the strength she hasn’t earned.

And I will not be here when she learns the cost. Some lessons are not taught---they are survived.

Author's Note

This poem reflects a real and painful distinction between two people—myself and someone who once used my name to shield her own actions. Coralene is my niece, but this is not a poem about family ties. It’s about legacy, strength, and the misuse of reputation. I wrote this to show how borrowed power can distort truth, and how boundaries must be drawn when respect is lost. This is not a reconciliation piece—it’s a reckoning. If you’ve ever had someone try to wear your story without earning it, this poem is for you.

Reviews

[John the Baptist]

The last line here is really heavy with meaning, especially for those who are familiar with its truth. It appears that the Coralene of the poem is a person who uses relationship for reputation, unaware of the dishonesty of such a stance. It will be interesting to see what she will do when some unfriendly other calls her bluff.

[Gregoria Ahmed]

I’ve come to believe that some people don’t learn from consequences---they just survive them. Coralene is in her late twenties, close to my age. She’s not naïve. She’s equipped, even dangerous. Jail hasn’t changed her. Near-death didn’t either.

The truth is, she treats consequences like interruptions, not lessons. And that’s what makes her bluff so hollow---it’s not backed by growth, just by survival.

When you said “some unfriendly other” might call her bluff… I felt that. Because I know that moment is coming. And I won’t be there when it does.

[Arundass TP]

Beautiful lines. Enjoyed reading

[Gregoria Ahmed]

Thank you so mcuh for taking the time to read and I am glad you enjoyed it.