Lingering Shadows

That night, rain lashed at our windows,
Like a furious drum, each beat,
A reminder of what was coming.
Wind howled hard at my favorite tree outside,
Like a mournful hungry cry,
Ripping at its golden branches.

Thunder roared all over our village,
Like an angry giant’s bellow, shaking the foundations.
Lightning cracked the darkness, like a jagged white scar,
Making my spirit hollow, and,
Revealing the chaos near and far.

Daddy’s face was a mask of worry and dread,
His arms— a shield against what lay ahead.
Water seeped into our house, making it one muddy tide,
Our safe haven breached in a matter of seconds.
Power flickered plunging us into darkness,
Leaving only the storm on its relentless track.

Days later, the sun tried to peek through,
But the storm’s echo still lingered,
Broken trees scattered like skeletal remains,
A landscape of loss, that is still etched in my mind.

Sleep filled with haunted dreams,
Those of terrified screams and crashing waves.
Loud noises and water startled like a jolt,
A reminder of what I’d endured before.

Like a weight upon my chest,
Anxiety’s grip put me to the test.
They call it PTSD,
A label so cold my breath hitched,
Because they weren’t there,
They weren’t there when the storm took hold of our lives.

I longed for peace.
I’ve long yearned for it,
For just a moment to unwind.
But rain keeps falling in my troubled mind,
Like a symphony of fear playing on a loop,
A lingering reminder of a shattered childhood!