trauma arrives
like a thief in the night
to steal your essence
replacing the gifts you’ve worked for
with pain and doubt,
grief and overwhelming sadness
become your heavy burden
confidence is replaced 
with the certainty  
that you will never be 
the person you were
before trauma
broke your heart in half

healing begins on the outside
especially if you 
have strength
in hiding negativity
under smiles,
while inside you are in pieces
longing for the recovery of
heart and mind
while the body appears
whole

I remind myself 
that we are all created 
in tenderness
and hold the light of the divine
inside us,
where the heart is cracked
and splintered
underneath the brokenness
a beautiful light still glows

healing is a slow process
but time is gently and deliberately
peeling back the layers of 
pain
     anger
          damage
               and depression
setting them on fire 
and allowing that beautiful light to shine, 
if my heart remains cracked
the light will shine brighter
through its crevices
out into the broken world
as a powerful reminder
of hope