From Tempest to Triumph: A Katrina Chronicle

In '05, Katrina knocked on my door,
Took my world, left me wanting more.
A decade in sorrow, a heart torn in two,
PTSD, anxiety, the companions I knew.
I questioned my being, I locked myself in,
Running from demons, I couldn't begin.
Yet in that long tunnel, a pinpoint of light,
Guided my journey back into the night.
Locked away, asking, "Who could I be?"
A soul searching for an identity.
The demons I ran from, now face-to-face,
In this healing journey, I found my place.
From scattered pieces, a mosaic made new,
Stronger than before, a me that's true.
This year, I stand on gratitude's shore,
Thankful for the lessons, and so much more.
Eighteen years scattered, like leaves in the fall,
Today I've collected, and answered my call.
Stronger, yet softer, a paradox true,
For in my destruction, rebirth I knew.
This year is different, I'm thankful, you see,
Katrina brought hardship but also set me free.
Time with my grandparents, a degree in my hand,
Tools for the dream-life that I had planned.
My heart sometimes wonders what life could have been,
If Katrina had bypassed, what then would I be?
Yet grateful I stand, for the healing she spurred,
A life now rewritten, a narrative blurred.
Though she tore through my world, like a tempest unfurled,
She gave me the power to remake my world.
So I cherish the struggle, and history's seat,
A stronger woman, impossible to beat.