Toni Rose: grandmother (Mima), Mother, Daughter, Sister, Lover Poet, and Author from Boston.   I am a survivor of sexual abuse and domestic violence.  Sometimes it is the mental and emotional abuse that hurts more than the physical.  I identify myself as visible invisible.  I can be in a room, easily forgotten until I speak.  I am humble in not always wanting to be seen but heard.

Poetry has been instrumental in my personal growth andimage62 healing.  My poetry has a strong emphasis on the struggles of life. I paint a picture with words that can be heart-wrenching truths.  

I want to erase the taboo and stigma that goes with discussing trauma and understanding mental health associated with trauma.  Since 2007 I shared my poetry at the Lizard Lounge where I spoke out against those transgressions of sexual abuse and domestic violence as well as components of my mental health - anxiety, depression and post traumatic stress disorder.  I empowered Pat Rossi to find her voice, she started to write about her abuse. 

Toni has been working on a four part book series, the struggles of surviving trauma, the first book available on amazon explores how a survivor is often a vigilante, keenly watching and detecting the dangers hidden in the shadows. Do ya know what it is to be afraid? Do ya know what it is to be in terror? Do ya know what it is to be alone and in fear? Trouble does and she shares these fears in her book Hyper-vigilant-e..