The Colour in me

I am a Police Officer

Struggling with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

For five years, I tortured myself and family

With my destructive behaviour

My failure to address my mental health

What was my saviour you ask,

It is the thing that makes me so unique

My ability to speak about my traumas

No more drama or lies being told

Being open, honest, and willing

To change the coping strategies that were killing me

Instead of drinking alcohol

I started to write and draw

Telling my stories through poetry and pictures

Using bright mixtures of colours

To tell and show the positive moments in my life

And using dark grey and white

To represent my fight with anxiety and depression

My obsession became expressing my feelings and emotions

Creating a world of love and pride

Every person accepted for who they are

Having high regard for human life

Using bright lights and colour

To deliver the message of being alive

It doesn’t matter if your a lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender, non-binary, queer or straight.

As long as love conquers all hate

Make positive relationships

And use bright colours to recover from the darkness

Those colours saved my wife, my kids, and my life.