Writing and Photography by Jeff E. Brown

Everything leaves a trace.
That’s what you said
All those years ago.
I didn’t think of it until now,
As I wonder how I ended up in this place.
I interpret it differently today.
I see the damage done,
The scars covered over
And I know that we inflict trauma
With blows, but more so with what we say.
You are long gone,
But I can’t forget
The embraces and the promises.
Broken vows and me, left behind.
Yet, somehow, I’ve managed to carry on.
I’ve struggled with my sanity
And I am alive more by luck
Than resilience or hope.
I’m in a dark place, deep in a gulf
And I need to swim up, to find the real me.

© 2022 Jeff E. Brown. All rights reserved.