Aftermath

Aftermath You found me naked and alone You found me unprotected You fed upon me, your unwilling and unwitting victim You fed upon me, your unwilling and unwitting prey You ravaged me You ravaged my life You ravaged my body You ravaged my heart You ravaged my soul Your presence is scorched upon my memory Your presence is scorched upon my body Your presence is scorched upon my soul You no longer exist in the world You will always exist in my world You will always exist in my life My worldly belongings you devoured My home you devoured My independence you devoured My health and wellbeing you devoured My safety and security you devoured My life you devoured Carnage was your gift to me Carnage of my body from your toxic breath Carnage of my soul from your avarice Carnage of my heart from your voracious appetite Carnage from the countless traumas that you inflicted upon me Carnage as you fed upon my soul, my life Carnage as you stole everything from me Carnage as your long, hot fingers licked over my life Carnage, destruction and devastation were your gifts to me For one long, horrifying and unbelievable year I fought to stay alive The aftermath of surviving your visit, your attack, your victory over me Several long, dangerous and terrible industrial strength treatments I needed to fight death Ongoing, compounded trauma I needed to fight in the aftermath of you My lungs were dying from your toxic smoke My body was dying from the illnesses you wreaked upon me My body was dying from the treatments that I needed to fight death My heart was shattered in the aftermath of your visit My soul was withered in the aftermath of your visit My body was entirely crippled from the traumas, in the aftermath of your visit Yet as I fought, so many times, to stay alive I was still able to smile, to laugh, to love I was still able to keep joy in my heart I was still able to focus on a happy future I was still able to believe that I could recover and to believe that I would recover I chose to fight I fought with my mind and with my body I fought with all that I had in me and I fought with all that I did not have in me Nobody expected me to survive Nobody expected me to recover Nobody expected me to be independent At my weakest I forced myself to fight and commit to intensive physiotherapy At my weakest I forced myself to fight and commit to intensive occupational therapy At my weakest I forced myself to eat, I forced myself to move At my weakest I forced myself to do what I needed to do For long and painful months I fought and fought some more For long and painful months I fought to rebuild my body For long and painful months I fought to rebuild my home For long and painful months I fought to rebuild my life I still fight and fight some more Against all odds I am whole Against all expectation I am restored Defying the facts of my reality and defying belief I am alright once again I am independent once again Your are seared upon my memory You are seared upon my flesh You are seared upon my heart You are seared upon my soul Against all odds, I, like the Phoenix have risen from your ashes Against all odds, I, like the Phoenix have risen from the ashes of my body Against all odds, I, like the Phoenix have risen from the ashes of my life My heart and soul sing once more My life will be better than before I have beaten you Morton Bushfire I have escaped your carnage and your grip Black Summer Bushfire, I won Black Summer Bushfire, I too am fire I was forged in the aftermath of you