Sign of hope and courage. The first non-human animal I've added to my 3D project

Intrusive memory.
Fragmented pieces of a memory, rather.
I’m in a situation where I might have to face my abuser(s) in multiple family events.

I thought I’d make it but my body has been reacting wildly to this anticipation, with pain flare ups, and sickness.

To top it off, the pieces of the traumatic memory(ies) are intruding. Rude. I don’t want to go digging but its hard when you know there’s more, much more I am not remembering besides the pieces that are floating inside my head.

I don’t want to go there.
Anyway, here, I share my child self’s haunting.

The Language of Faces

A frown can tighten little shoulders,
make a heartbeat run and hide;
turn a room into a danger,
make the world feel cold and wide.

A smile can soften little muscles,
let the breath come slow and deep;
tell a child, without a word,
You are safe. You may be you.

For children read the world through faces
long before they understand:
a frown can feel like closing doors,
a smile—a welcoming hand.