There is a sway inside me sometimes.
A vibration that makes me look around startled.
I wonder if it was just a large truck passing by?
Sometimes it’s a consistent shake and I look to the chandelier to see if it is swinging
even if ever so slightly to make sense of how I feel.
Maybe an earthquake I say to myself.
There are times when I feel a vibration in my body
and I wonder if it’s only my skin that keeps me put together.
I ask anyone near if they can see me shaking and
I am always shocked to hear that they see nothing.
I ask if they will hold my hand and then I ask again if they can feel me shake
and they say still, there is nothing.
Nothing that can be seen or felt by others, just me.
I know it’s there and maybe… I have concluded
It is the residue of the life I once lived.
Christina Mauro has lived in Los Angeles, California for over 25 years. She is an actress, producer and writer who has recently begun to write more on the topic of her childhood in Texas and the trauma she experienced as a child and young adult. She has spent the last 15 years devoting her time to her family and the Los Angeles based non-profit, Peace Over Violence. She began as a volunteer crisis counselor and member of Voices Over Violence. Later, she joined the Peace Over Violence Board where she performed the duties of Board Secretary and Board President over the course of 5 plus years. She is now a member of the Peace Over Violence Advisory Circle, continuing to work actively to educate on the topic of interpersonal violence. Christina is currently working on a short film she has written and will direct on the topic of homelessness, mental illness and interpersonal violence.
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