From the psych ward to the flight deck, from whispered goodbyes to quiet strength, I Remember You is a raw and unflinching book of poetry and prose by Navy veteran Patrick J. Hughes.

This debut collection is stitched from the aftermath—of war, of trauma, of sleepless nights, of love that left scars and children who saved him anyway. With brutal honesty and a grace born of survival, Hughes captures what it’s like to come home from a place no one saw you leave, to carry weight no one can name, and to still show up—sometimes trembling, sometimes numb, sometimes whole enough for the people who need you most.

Spanning the dark corridors of depression and PTSD, the strange rituals of military life, and the quiet miracles of fatherhood and friendship, these poems are both wound and salve. They speak the language of sailors, survivors, and anyone who’s ever stood in a silent room and felt the ghosts in the walls.

But this is not a collection about despair. It’s about endurance. About what it means to stay. And sometimes, about finding enough light to keep going—even when the night doesn’t end.

I Remember You doesn’t offer easy redemption or polished answers. It holds space for the messy, unfinished, still-fighting versions of ourselves. Whether you’ve served, loved someone who has, or quietly survived your own invisible war, these pages will remind you: you are not alone. Not in the ache. Not in the silence. Not in the rising.

If you’ve ever wondered whether anyone truly sees what you’re carrying—this book remembers you.

See some of the selected works from ‘i remember you’