My attempts at poetry....

No. 55 Dear Father

The permanent scars still linger deep within,
The shattered pieces of my innocent soul.
The torment of PTSD, a burden unseen,
A child of youth, why did I bear this toll?

Your handprints stained my once unblemished skin,
Unwanted memories haunt my every thought.
You forced me to grow up too soon, too fast,
Now I yearn to relive the childhood I've lost.

Dear father, what did I do to deserve this pain?
To suffer at the hand of my own kin?
You crushed my dreams before they could take flight,
So why did my laughter become your sin?

I harmed no one,
Yet you extinguished my light.
Silence was my shield,
You rend it apart.

I was a mere child when fear took me hostage,
At just seven, a mark was left on my flesh.
At nine, you ripped me from all that I knew,
At eleven, my innocence was cruelly stolen away.

But know this, my tormentor, I am strong,
Though scars may fade, their mark shall remain.
I am not defined by the hurt you inflicted,
For I am a survivor, breaking free from the chain.