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.
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