I'm hidden by barriers
That you cannot see
I'm trapped and alone
But you can see me

I'm muted by noise
That you cannot hear
My screams fall silent
I'm frozen in fear

The pressure builds
My mind is racing
You fail to see
The struggles I'm facing

The room is spinning
My heart's beating fast
Thoughts creeping in
How long will they last?

I sit here vacant
I'm traumatised
I failed to answer
You.... recognised

Pounding your desk
Screaming my name
Jumbled words
Repeating again

I don't know the answer
I want to reply, but..
I keep blanking out
I can't explain why

In front of the class
You call out my name
"I've told you twice..
I'm not explaining again!"

I'm hidden by the barriers
That you cannot see
I'm trapped and alone
Until quarter past three

By Darren Wall

I only asked for your presence
I didn't want to call you again
I didn't expect you to mock me
As I, tried to process my pain

I'm sorry I expressed my sadness
I'm sorry I needed a hand
I didn't want to burden you
I hoped that you'd understand

I'm sorry I battled my demons
I'm sorry I shared my distress
I'm sorry but I was drowning
With Post Traumatic Stress

I didn't expect the silence
I didn't expect the blame
I suffered for my illness
I upset the family name

I had to hide my demons
I kept my sorrow confined
I watched you move on..
Without me,
As I was left behind

Time has left a stranger
I'm not the brother you know
In order to help me heal
I had to let you go

A moment of solace
Destroyed by the sea
It's pulling me under
I cannot break free

I cling to the boat
My nails digging in
The raging storm
Battling within

A torrent of water
Crushing my chest
Pinning my body
Causing distress

My mind floods
I'm drowning in fear
Helplessly watching
My end drawing near

I hear my name
As you call for me
You settle the noise
The storms and the sea.

The light disappears
My life fades to black
I struggle to breathe
But you pull me back

The distance between us
Grows further apart
Consumed by the storm
That blackens my heart

And out at sea I battle
With all that nature throws
Waves that strip the ocean
Exposing cracks and bones

I'm battered by the storms
Waves tower over me
I'm frozen on the sea bed
Time stands still for me

I'm paralysed with fear
Exhausted, weak and prone
The sea will soon consume me
I can't fight this alone

My life flashed before me
A memory kept inside
Playing my emotions
That surge with the tide

A glimmer of light
Breaking the skies
In awe of the wonder
That light up my eyes

Is the tree falling
When time has left it still
Slow path it's crossing

I break the surface
As the water recedes
I'm no longer fighting
Washed up in the weeds

I look for the voice
Calling out to me
Feeling the sand
Away from the sea

I crawl for a while
Then stand on my feet
I take a few steps
Snow following sleet

I walk for the hills
The sun escapes me
The night draws in
Moon lights the quay

There on the pier
You waited for me
You never gave up
You kept calling me

The pain in my heart
I left in the sea
No longer distressed
I'm finally free

By Darren Wall