Hi all
Over the past few months I've been putting pen to paper and trying to record through poetry how PTSD has affected me. I've entered several pieces in the upcoming MIFQ art exhibition to be held in May. The following however is not one that I've put in for exhibition so I thought I'd share it online here for the first time.
Regards - Keith
Always in the shadows
Lurking in the shadows
In the spaces of my mind
Are the memories of the traumas
I thought I’d left behind.
Where nightmares are my reality
A solitary confinement I’m locked inside
Where the PTSD is stalking me
And there is no place to hide
Where the demons of my past
Have found a cosy place to dwell
Coming out and confronting me
Aroused by sight, or sound, or smell
Where simple tasks like shopping
Or even getting out of bed
Seem almost insurmountable
Because of monsters in my head
Where anxiety is always there
And sends my emotions reeling
Where breaking down and crying
Is the only thing I’m feeling
Where loud or sudden noises
Like the slamming of the door
Will have my heart rate racing
Or have me curled up on the floor
Where I can’t remember little things
When I walk into a room
When someone tells me something
That I’ve forgotten all too soon
Where I can’t control my anger
Where the rage will not subside
And I sit alone with my thoughts
Contemplating suicide
The soul destroying misery
The endless torment and despair
And succumbing to its burden
Is an ever present fear
Just like you I’m only human
But my mind’s a complex mess
And I’m scared I’ll be defeated
By my Post-Traumatic Stress
