"She's A Nobody"
A poem about the time I was referred to as "a nobody".
“She is a nobody,” said the woman
wearing a black pants set.
The words fell upon me
like coals — I was incensed!
Out of the mouth of a woman
who worships her own name.
Couture is her staple.
She travels by private plane.
Wealth is her way of life.
It has made her insane!
Her judgments cut through people
like a knife across human veins.
She is a legend within her own mind.
Her perceived importance is her fame.
With precision, I shot back.
My words flew forth like flames.
That was many years ago
since my arrows inflicted pain.
I wonder if she remembers?
Despite ice water running through her veins.
How did she know what I had?
Or if I lacked a thing.
Do I wish her pain? Misfortune?
Or do I wish for her life to be serene?
God help me to forgive her.
Deal with us both…
as Your wise heart sees fit.
COPYRIGHT 2026.
Medium.com/@laneyswords
Have you ever known or been around someone so insecure or mean that they look down upon everyone else around them? I have had the unfortunate fate of working with such people. They have money, but they are insecure about something else and want to exert power over others in order to compensate for their own perceived shortcomings. Or, they are just plain mean.
Sadly, my daughter experienced this issue early in life. She was in the First Grade. At her school, some mothers were on television, and a few were married to NASCAR drivers or business moguls.
Oddly enough, it wasn’t the children of the famous people who acted like this. As a whole, they were kind, well adjusted, and very polite. It was their friends who were mean. The little girls who were friends with the children of the famous parents made other little girls feel inadequate.
I first experienced this when I went to eat lunch with my daughter one day. Children I had known and loved in her class since Junior Kindergarten were not only snubbing my daughter, they were snubbing me! I couldn’t believe my eyes!
My daughter suffered greatly at the unkindness dished out by these girls because I was a stay-at-home Mom and not on Prime Time. The famous parents were actually very nice, approachable, and very friendly to me. They never relied on their fame or wealth to carry them.
I had to teach my daughter at a very young age that people, such as her classmates with “normal working parents”, were really very insecure and felt insecure about their status in life compared to their friends who had famous parents. They were well aware of how much power they could wield over others by being critical, and they wielded it with precision.
My daughter learned some difficult adult lessons at that very young age, and they hurt her deeply.
As for the woman who insulted me, I refused to work for her despite what she was willing to pay me. Also through this, I was able to teach my daughter the importance of standing tall and continuing to be herself in the face of criticism and putdowns.
To all of you who have read my words, I hope your day was filled with wonderful and kind people. I pray we will all be able to maintain the strength required in this life to be the courageous ones who spread joy to everyone we meet, despite the mean people. Sometimes, we are the only joy some people will see.
With love, Laney
Laney, "Nobody" is such a heavy, violent word to throw at someone. But as you clearly identified, it was a projection, her attempt to shore up her own fragile ego by trying to dismantle yours.
Refusing that work wasn't just pride; it was a structural boundary. You effectively told her that your dignity wasn't a line item on her budget.
The lesson for your daughter is the real legacy here. Teaching her to distinguish between "status" (the facade) and "character" (the foundation) is the only way to bulletproof her against that kind of insecurity later in life. Beautifully handled.
Tom
Dr Tom Kane