Wooded Path

Photo taken by contributor Lori Goodwin who has suffered most of her life with Complex PTSD, anxiety, and depression. She has had many people in her family also struggle with mental health challenges — including anxiety, depression, OCD, and schizophrenia. Three of Lori’s four children also suffer differing combinations of anxiety, depression, OCD, PTSD, and possible Bipolar. Lori is a long-time single mother who’s had very little in the way of resources except courage and resilience. Photography has become a therapeutic outlet, providing a valuable tool for coping and anchoring in the present moment.

About this photo: “Path through trees at Dungeness Split, Olympic Peninsula:

Ancient pain terror grief
stuffed and locked
in a heavy
old
wardrobe

Life
unleashes
a tsunami of debris
and I am
rammed slammed battered
bruised aching

Curled in a ball
on the bathroom floor
heaving with sobs
older than my children

Feel it
Feel it all
What you feel
will move you
change you
rearrange you

The pain is
exquisite
the whole world
shifts

I let it flow right through
me
continue on its journey
Watch in stunned
silence
as light slowly
dawns in the distance”

Find more from Lori at her blog.

_____

**Visit Broken Light’s main gallery here. Currently accepting submissions.

*Facebook & Twitter @BrokenLighCo & @DanielleHark. Follow for e-mail notifications.

6 replies to “Wooded Path”

Hi Lori. I love your photo and your poem. With it, you wrote the words that I and I’m sure many others, feel. The path is worn and smooth but also, I see the tree ahead, in the center. For me, it symbolizes challenges, obstacles..the difficult times. It also says to me how our paths are rarely ever straight ahead. The crossed branches of two trees in the foreground are those things inside us that try to keep us from going forward. Wishing you and your family bring blessings.

LikeLiked by 3 people