A deeply distressing or disturbing experience 

is a pillow in your face. 

Trauma is grazing your face

Trauma is silent

Trauma can’t stay silent

Trauma is saying ignore the distraction

ignore the distraction 

ignore the distraction 

Trauma contradicts itself therefore it contradicts itself

Trauma is also screaming and banging something

metal and hard in the next room

Trauma is screaming and saying

Nobody in the world loves me in the next room 

slipping notes under a locked door that say Help Me

asking if you think about killing yourself

Trauma is saying ignore the distraction

It’s all a distraction

We don’t need this distraction

Trauma is saying don’t see it, don’t look at it, don’t hear it

Trauma is calling a human an IT

advising Turn off all of your senses and betray them—focus on

learning, follow directions, do what you are told 

pretend Trauma doesn’t exist so it won’t see you and talk to you and reach for you.

Maybe, it’ll never put a finger on you.