PTSD Poems to Slay Demons

Robin L Harvey’s PTSD Poems to Slay Demons draws the reader through one trauma survivor’s journey through mental illness, child abuse and addiction into a haven of healing, reconciliation, joy and love. Some of the 46 poems in the work’s five themed sections are brutally confessional and raw. However, this lyrical work goes beyond the personal to the universal and political, reflecting modern-day life in an increasingly traumatic world. Each poem touches on the varying impacts of trauma, using subject matter that ranges from date-rape to childhood bullying, our culture’s obsession with celebrity and serial killers, and the integration of pornography and gender bias through social media and tech. Though modern in tone and form, the book is grounded in literary history. Harvey melds symbols from ancient mythology and religion with modern day slang, rap music, and social media memes. Though she may rage against social injustice and the politics that divide and oppress us, Harvey’s unique voice can resound with whimsy as easily as it melts into tender expressions of passion and love.