Trauma Trail - a poem by Stefan Freedman

Tricks and treasons forced on infants

Nothing treatable with trinkets

Love was trance-muted by trauma

To a trench of trickling treacle

We transfer our past transgressions

Tracing treachery and tristesse

As we snag on trauma tripwires

Sometimes nosediving through trap-doors

A trajectory of trauma

Leaves us trembling and tragic

All our trauma tribes face trouble

For in truth it’s our tradition

So our mission is translation 

Even trundled down by traffic

We turn trials to trauma treasures

To grow trees of peaceful tribute

In a world of tribulation

Let’s spread love through transformation

To be trauma-trek trailblazers

To be troubadours of trust