Myriad of Acerbic Memories

When I think back to those days,

I feel a pressure building in my chest,

An ache of pain that steals my breath;

Forcing the air from my lungs.

I think of the fear that controlled my being,

It's crippling, draining, weighted on my shoulders.

Images flash behind my closed eyelids,

And cause my stomach to lurch.

I can taste the bile at the back of my throat.

I fight desperately to rid my thoughts of the memories,

But they come in waves, crashing down on top of me;

Drowning me. What have you done to me?

When I was a teenager, I was raped. Years later, the rape still affects me from time to time. This was written one night when I couldn't sleep for the memories.