The light at the end of the tunnel....

I am damaged...
The incident is past,
But the pain persists;
I reluctantly, at times, fearfully,
Go about my present daily life.

I am damaged...
Not by subterfuge,
Sweet words of insincerity, or lies,
But through unfathomable meanness
And brutal cruelty.

I am damaged...
The world closed in about my soul,
Suddenly becoming an alien land,
And I had coldly been deprived of the passport
Which heretofore had allowed my spirit unfettered movement.

I am damaged...
But, in talking to others, also damaged,
I have come to realize that I am alive, not dead;
That the world goes on around me, and about me,
And that I am empowered if I choose to be so.

I am damaged...
But, by reaching out and learning to trust those who are worthy of trust,
I will be able to re-build my life;
It will never be quite the same as it was,
So I must strive to make it better.

I am damaged...
But with the passage of time, and the help of sincere people who care about me,
I learn to move more steadily, more confidently, each day,
Toward the light at the end of the tunnel.

I am damaged...
But I am not broken.


By Hanley Harding