Christina A. Sharik

SOME WOUNDS AREN’T SEEN

Everyone thinks I’m so calm-
I’m their sister, her friend, his Mom…

My aunt says I am stoic –
like my Mother…

Truth be told,
I’m just like every other

wounded person,
hiding in plain view –

Smiling on the outside,
frightened on the inside…

Like some of you.

So, the shrink says
I have “secondary PTSD”

Partly from the way my
World War II vet-father raised
my siblings and me –

He wanted to protect us
to the point of making us afraid…

Being unprepared for the world
was the way we were made –

Watch out! Think What If
Make a Plan. Then make Plan B –

I loved my dad
but he made a wreck of me –

And yet, I’ve taken some chances
In life, and love, I’ve sometimes
been “bold” –

I’ve have made bad choices
here and there –
So, Truth be told –

We are all braver
than we thought we were –

Stronger than we think
we are…

Make a Plan
Then make Plan B

Let time slide into healing
those wounds of Hyper-vigilance
and PTSD

We will never be “free”
But we are so much more
than we thought we’d be

After… the War

Author’s Note: Contribution to the “Some Wounds Aren’t Seen” Series