PTSD (new poem)

 

PTSD (new poem)
by Tim Kavi

don't touch me

for I am so afraid

that I wonder

if my life

can ever be remade

but I keep on living

keep on trying

just to keep on

your gentle noises

resound like cannons

and gunfire

in my ear

the startle response

betrays my heart

of fear, whenever

threats feel near

sometimes I do not

feel like I am here

but in another place

numbed by grace

and at night, oh!

at night, I am afraid

to go to sleep

for You are there

my abuser, my assailant

You who hurt me

are in my dreams

so many times

it's hard to cope

but I am learning to manage

and rebuild my life

for to not do so

is to lose all hope.  

Afterword--written by Tim Kavi, a sufferer of PTSD!