Finding My Voice: A poem about how writing can "set you free" by telling your story

This is a beautiful poem that I expect will resonate with many of you. When I wrote this poem the emotion of anger was bubbling to the surface. I wrote several poems in less than an hour, as the words were just coming out so fast I could barely keep up writing. I took a self-care trip to be by myself for a few days and just focus on whatever it is that I wanted to do.

Shortly after I arrived, words were flooding my head. I had a goal to catch up on the reading goal that I had set for myself this year, but while I was reading, I kept being interrupted with these words coming to mind.

I should preface this poem by saying that I was reading the book "The Body Keeps the Score" by Bessel van der Kolk. If you haven't read that book yet, I HIGHLY recommend reading it! It is a booked packed with science, research, and stories about actual people. The book is about the effects of childhood trauma on your body, what causes mental illness, and many other interesting facts that will get your mind thinking, or in my case, writing!

This book was a difficult read for me as it brought up many memories that I had suppressed or chose to forget about. When I was reading "The Body Keeps the Score" poems would just form, as my subconscious was attempting to let out the thoughts that I had in the past. This poem in particular expresses how I felt as a lost and angry teenager.

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Finding My Voice

By: Susan Evans

It is through writing

I now have a voice

Words that once were forever lost

No longer have a choice

I type furiously

As my thoughts begin to pour

For the first time

I am not met with a closed door

No one telling me to shut up

Mad that I interrupted their show

Ignoring my existence

As my self-esteem took a blow

I no longer need to worry

I can let go of that fear

I cannot get popped in the mouth

When he is not here

It was hard being a child

Feeling alone and unloved

Wondering what I did wrong

Blaming God and the powers above

I have a lot to say

No longer afraid to speak my mind

I want to spread the importance

Of listening and being kind

For way too long

I had to live in fear

It is only now

My throat has cleared

I speak up for those

That struggle along the way

To find their voice, but

Soon it will be their day

To stand up for themselves

Not being afraid of who hears

You will no longer be powerless

Drowning in a pool of tears