Doré E. Frances
Why Wisdom Is Harder Than You Think
Do you ever catch yourself thinking that you are no one’s first choice –
not the favorite, not the one someone reaches for first –
just quietly present, lingering in the background?
And in that moment, you feel the pull to retreat –
not out of anger, but out of a quiet ache, a longing to be alone where it feels safer than feeling invisible.
From Disconnection to Awakening: A Culture in Transition
We shifted from courtesy to defense ~ from “excuse me” to “get out of my way.”
From “how can I help?” to “what’s in it for me?”
We stopped worrying about how we were perceived ~
and started caring even less about each other. They were fake. We were just being “authentic.”
The collective became the individual. Friendships turned into strategic alliances. Community fragmented into tribes. Engagement became a kind of currency. When we weren’t heard, we shouted louder ~
or silenced others to make space for our noise. Anyone outside our circle became a threat. Uniformity was applauded ~ loudly, constantly. We wore […]
I never set out to be emotional. I just wanted to be understood. To be seen.
Not just the words I manage to say out loud ~
but the quiet weight I carry beneath the surface, the things I tuck away where no one looks. Some days it feels like people only hear what’s comfortable for them.
They offer smiles, polite nods …
but they don’t really listen. There are moments I feel completely unseen ~
like I am standing in the middle of a storm, no one notices. And still, I smile. Still, I pretend. Even when I’m unraveling inside, clinging to what little strength I have left. It’s not about needing attention. It’s about longing for presence. For someone to ask,
“How are you […]
I’m homesick for a haven I’m not sure exists – a place where my heart is whole, my body safe, and my soul no longer lonely.
I search for it in quiet mornings, in strangers’ smiles, in the way sunlight rests on my skin.
Sometimes, I almost feel it—
in a song, in the hush of trees, in the memory of being held
Beneath My Silence
There are stories we tell out loud – and there are ones we carry quietly etched beneath the surface, waiting for the right moment to be heard.
This collection of poems was born from those quieter places –
where words once trembled behind closed lips, where pain and resilience lived side by side, and where healing began not with answers but honesty.
Beneath My Silence is a journey through grief, hope, meaning, and memory. It’s shaped by the echoes of my past and the wisdom of surviving it. Some poems emerged from sorrow, others from joy, but all are threads of a life deeply felt and deeply lived. These poems hold what I couldn’t say out loud. Thank you for listening.
Doré
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