I posed a question to myself the other day, how do you speak of childhood trauma in mosaic metaphors?
Can it be done, or should it be done?
It was a rhetorical question yet an interesting concept for me. Like many I witnessed and was part of a violent homestead. Back then we never talked about it to our family or friends. We kept silent about what transpired in the home, even when it was evident to many around us. The challenge for myself is that this isn’t just my story. It is the same story as my siblings. They too have their own memory of childhood that they may or may not want to engage with. I ended my struggle when I came to realize that I shall not be silenced by my past or issues beyond my control. This is my life, and my story to do with as I deem necessary without intentional malice.
When we speak of our past and those we negatively impacted by our behavior as a result of that trauma we tend to forget the incredible positive resilience we have and how that trickles down to those that were unintentionally affected. We become more beautiful every day as we continue to heal from our childhood and by the time we’re seniors we shine so brightly our grandchildren look towards us with admiration unaware what took place and the work needed to create such a masterpiece.
Yes, I believe we are masterpieces of our own design in regard to healing. The following result is in honor of all those who survived and florished from childhood traumas. Peace be with you.
The Mosaic Child
the trophy of angry men
lay scattered across the floor
stoic pieces
useless
laying discarded
ignored
blood drips
stains the floor
little fingers collect
what others ignore
a pocket full
of shattered memories
rust bleeds from the sky
dead leaves of autumn
fall like stoic pieces
time is darkest
in the aftermath of death
as are the thoughts that follow
wisdom arrives like an arctic wind
bites to the bone
those shattered memories
are crafted together
revealing the mosaic child.
Author Michael Plante
Image: Untitled.
Source: The Suffolk County News web-page.
Used without permission.
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