Brittle fragility
Seems a glaring
Result of PTSD
Take a piece of charcoal
From the remains
Push on it and it crumbles
Into its basic elements
Anxiety, fear, endless sadness
Without hope of reconciliation

Guilt of not being “better”
Becomes the seed
That sows the perfect storm
Raging destructively in the mind
If I can’t love and respect myself
Then no one else will be able
To care for me either
Better that i drive them away
Before i hurt myself definitively

But I’ve tracked that journey now
Understand the signs and triggers
Revelation through pain
Some clarity reached
Some strategies given me
I will endure yet

The support of my fellow poets
Makes it possible to face another day
Knowing their pain
Alleviates my own
Their successes at rebuilding
Encourages my own

Keep on good folk and true
I know from you
That a bright new day
Will arise
Even if it's a long journey!