Oof! Such a POWERFUL poem, Jane! This is a great one for spoken word poetry. I could hear the repeating rhythm of the pain and forever impact of trauma. Well done!
The repetition here captures exactly how trauma imprints itself—layered, inherited, and absorbed long before someone has the language to name it. The way the poem shifts from accusation to realization mirrors the actual arc of healing I see in practice: recognizing what was never yours to carry. Digging out “one brick at a time” is slow work, but it’s the only way the cycle breaks. This piece holds that truth with clarity and honesty.
I really believe it’s important to take time to read other people’s pieces here. This community is incredibly supportive, and you never know what you’ll learn or what will connect with you. Showing up for each other is part of what makes Substack meaningful.
The way you captured the loop of internalized trauma — how it gets handed down, absorbed, and mistaken as our own — is exactly what so many people silently carry.
“Digging out one brick at a time” is the part that stayed with me. Healing really is that slow, that intentional, that brave.
Thank you for putting words to an experience so many of us have lived but never learned to name.
I see you today in my feed!
and this one made my heart thump as I read. I hope you're doing okay. Sending you much love Jane. ox
Thanks so much, Deborah.
I hope she breaks free once the wall is down.
Thanks. I do too.
Oof! Such a POWERFUL poem, Jane! This is a great one for spoken word poetry. I could hear the repeating rhythm of the pain and forever impact of trauma. Well done!
Blessings and MUCH LOVE! ~Wendy💜
Thanks so much, Wendy.
This one punched me right in the guts! Trauma comes in many ways.
It does. Sometimes it's unknown scapegoating of a traumatic event.
A 6 year-old- child will internalized it even if it wasn't her fault
The repetition here captures exactly how trauma imprints itself—layered, inherited, and absorbed long before someone has the language to name it. The way the poem shifts from accusation to realization mirrors the actual arc of healing I see in practice: recognizing what was never yours to carry. Digging out “one brick at a time” is slow work, but it’s the only way the cycle breaks. This piece holds that truth with clarity and honesty.
Thanks so much! Writing has always been therapeutic for me. I appreciate you taking time to comment and read.
I really believe it’s important to take time to read other people’s pieces here. This community is incredibly supportive, and you never know what you’ll learn or what will connect with you. Showing up for each other is part of what makes Substack meaningful.
It is. I appreciate authenticity as well.
This is so powerful, Jane.
The way you captured the loop of internalized trauma — how it gets handed down, absorbed, and mistaken as our own — is exactly what so many people silently carry.
“Digging out one brick at a time” is the part that stayed with me. Healing really is that slow, that intentional, that brave.
Thank you for putting words to an experience so many of us have lived but never learned to name.
— Nicole
Thanks so much!
Visceral. I could feel my past self in the poetry.
Thanks Therese