Kandayia Ali - IAMOmni

THE SACRIFICE by Kandayia Ali  (Monologue / Spoken Word) They watched me light the match and thought it meant I was finished. They called it self-sabotage. They called it too much. They didn’t know I wasn’t destroying my life— I was demolishing the cage. I was burning the costume. The version of me built to keep other people comfortable. The version trained to smile on command, shrink on cue, apologize for taking up space. I’m a relentless survivor. This isn’t collapse—this is strategy. Sacrifice was never my punishment. Sacrifice became my weapon. I didn’t lose people. I removed leverage. I didn’t lose comfort. I canceled the bribe. I didn’t lose approval. I unplugged from the machine. Anything I’m attached to can be used to steer me. So I started cutting cords—clean, surgical, intentional. Not chaotic. Calculated. I let friendships fall away that only loved my obedience. I let rooms empty so the echo could stop lying to me. I let money change, status shift, titles fad...