Hush!
Not too loud
The hour grows late
And the darkness is creeping

We all make mistakes,
things we regret.
We survive grievances,
things hard to forget.
Time heals many wounds,
But some scars
Can haunt for a lifetime.

Every evening
When the shadows are longest
A numbness steals upon me
I can’t feel the soothing breeze
Can hardly hear the birds retreat
And barely notice the sunset splendour
For this is the hour of my trauma
When flashes of memory flick through my mind
Images muddled by fear
Incoherent and indistinct
I can not see it all
But I feel it
The distress
The panic
The horror!
Every evening
When the shadows are longest
My trauma comes alive!

As I sit here
Sharing these terrors
Holding the hands
Of those who understand
Fear conducts through us all
Dispersing,
Diluting,
Until the numbness thaws
And warmth returns

So hush
Not…