Speak Truth
Clergy sexual abuse
A long time ago,
community gathering,
a trigger, a flashback,
my agony exposed.
A PTS moment,
my secret spills out as I cry and sob,
I’m out of control.
~
It was a safe space – so rare to find -
for I was not blamed or shamed
nor judged for my pain.
~~~
Another time, another space,
invited to speak, that door simply closed
as doors closed before,
as doors have closed since.
Invited to speak, the verdict was changed:
there was too much pain in my script.
~
The pain from the ordeal of clergy abuse,
the pain from the silence from those who could help.
The truth of abuse,
betrayal of trust,
abandoned by God,
the thorns of such truth of sexual abuse were too much to bear
so doors remained closed.
~~~
Protecting others from the truth.
Is that the right choice?
Is that a wise choice?
Is there any integrity when making such choice?
And that I don’t know, it’s between them and God.
On my end, however, again on my own,
I carried my cross, the wound of abuse.
~~~
The years went by,
a poetry group, I meet a new star,
I tell her my story,
she knows how to listen, she knows how to guide.
My hopelessness weakens with Harvard in mind,
new target is clear,
the force of survival is back.
~
An arrow takes off.
The arrow of truth,
the truth of abuse,
the truth of the agony,
the truth of resiliency,
the truth of empowerment,
the truth of the power of speaking the truth.
~
The arrow arrives, the story received,
the trauma released,
a new life is starting, which way will I go?
And that, I don’t know.
~~~
https://shopping-feedback.today/challenges/the-vocal-fiction-awards?via=jorgelina
Other stories by Jorgelina Zeoli
Predator, Part One, a memoir about clergy sexual abuse
Predator Part Two, a memoir about clergy sexual abuse
I couldn't let her go, Journey through Alzheimer's
The Heartbreak, Journey through Alzheimer's
About the Creator
Jorgelina Zeoli
Jorgelina Zeoli is a former recital organist and teaches singing and Tai Chi. Her memoirs, films and songs focus on personal growth and the healing of her inner child. She incorporates humor, poetry and art. She resides in the USA.
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Day 4 of Quitting
If this is how sobriety feels, maybe it’s better to go through life a little buzzed… this, along with other hits like, I want to kill myself, I wish I was dead, and I’m going to throw myself off a bridge have been the only thoughts on rotation these past few days. I promise myself that if, in a month, I still feel like this (‘this’ meaning despondent, full of rage, and simultaneously numb) I can go back to smoking. Until mid-February though? Nicotine is off the table.
By sleepy drafts7 days ago in Longevity
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