No one knows how she is feeling
She hides the pain that well
But, even when she's smiling
Her spirit lives in Hell
Turmoil she tried to bury
Unbearable to face
Has risen to the surface
And is now commonplace

Her life once held together
Now crumbles at its core
Each day with fears uncertain
Now feels like such a chore
Her peaceful rest has faltered
The nightmares run too deep
Her waking hours broken
Thanks to a lack of sleep

Some days, her mind is quiet
'til painful memories' bellow
The chaos born from hardship
So difficult to mellow
One minute, she seems past it
Free from its lethal wrath
The perils formed from trauma
Leave a changed aftermath

Nevermore will she be blinded
To the hardships she has fought
Deep within, she has the courage
To hear with all she's got
Some days the memories linger
But, her hope is much too great
To allow PTSD's chokehold
As her forever fate

Therefore, she will keep fighting
Embracing what is real
She'll cry whenever warranted
And feel what she must feel
While others may not see this
Because she hides it well
She'll face each day much wiser
Than she will ever tell

© 2013 - Jill Eisnaugle's Poetry Collection