Not All Wounds Are Visible

After hearing a veteran talk about a flashback experience, I was about how it can be like a time machine, though I'm sure flashbacks vary in length and detail, it really can feel as if the trauma is happening again. Living through traumatic experiences and the aftermath in my own life, I understand PTSD. Though I'm an OIF vet I was not in direct combat. I hope to dedicate my life to helping those that have. Within the last few years, I have been honored to serve men and women veterans and hear their stories. (I worked at the Redwoods Vet Center as a work-study previously and starting hearing veterans experiences then.)

I just watched a video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWgUF9KgNmc.

I think it does a good job explaining the difficulties adjusting to everyday life for a returning combat troop. It also brings up the issue of stigma that keeps people from seeking help. In cumulative response to the stories I have heard and the video I wrote the poem below.

A conflicted soul

living in two worlds,

fit to survive

setup to kill

A "job well done"

some may say,

while returning home

without a parade.

Returning home

a stranger

to family,

friends,

MYSELF.

Returning home

unsure of my place,

longing for

understanding,

PEACE.

Erase the pain,

the pictures,

the sounds

SOUNDS

fill up my head

tear my soul.

Longing for

quiet,

sleep,

an end.