my beast

I am a Canadian veteran who has been dealing with post traumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety for several years. This is a collection of the darkness I experienced over these last few years. These are my screams into a pillow. These are my cries for help. These are my lungs exhaling. These are my connections with life.

While I struggled with suicidal thoughts, anger issues, depression, fear, self-esteem issues, among other dark emotions, writing was my outlet. Writing poetry, combined with extended snuggles with my dog, provided me with the therapy I needed to continue.

This is my first collection of published poems. The ironic thing is that I am publishing these out of fear. My anxious mind dwells on my mortality and trembles over the idea that all of the poems I have written over the last thirty-nine years will die with me.

This is me avoiding that possibility. This is me clawing forward.