“I wanted to be happy” The words crept from my lips like scurrying little spiders when their home disturbed amongst darkened cobwebs in an untouched dingy room Intrusive thoughts Dismaying salvation of pathologized compliance Masking behaviour for acceptance “Stop spinning in that chair- it’s annoying” Self expression became punishable Dismaying youth- retribution beyond reasonable understanding Belted and crying Please stop, it hurts Fearful avoidance Nothing feels safe Transmitting adulthood with repressed memories though awakened by medical emergency of your cat Navigating uncertainty since July; desperately attempting to understand inner workings of trauma brain Complex post traumatic stress disorder Medical diagnosis though intrusive thoughts still catastrophic Chronic pain with desolation Desperately craving the touch of another human Covid times; worsening depression combatting betraying myself with fathers abusive words while unproductively masquerading oversleeping Powerlifting self regulation though collapsing under the bar. If they wanted to talk to you They would make effort Though I still fawn my way to self acceptance After all; That’s what my parents taught me to do.