PTSD Poetry: Power, Pain, and Progress
I recently received approval to reprint the following moving poem written by a soldier who'd served in Mosul, Iraq with the mighty 101st Airborne. Known as Mr. Sandman, he's been blogging on his experiences in Iraq, as well as his experiences with PTSD now that he's returned home to his wife, family, and friends. His blog, "The Iraq War", Through the Eyes of a Soldier is a highly recommended journey. Thank you, Mr. Sandman, for your service, for sharing your difficult experiences with others, and for allowing me to reprint one of your many fine poems. In my eyes, you're a hero through and through.
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Only For a Moment - © 2006 David Kerpash
For a moment...I was a part of something huge
I was invincible....strong....a powerhouse of a man
A soldier!!
For a moment I was part of a brotherhood....
that had been tested in time
Never believing I would ever have to kill.....
for a moment I dreamed of exotic locations and college
Naive to believe I was special.....I took the oath of a soldier
I try to be strong for my wife....a lover, and a husband....
and soon to be father
Hating the weakness I now show....as a vulnerable man
I hide away the decay inside me....buried deep....I pretend all is well
But in dreams.....they always find me....only to exhaust me, and drench me in guilt
Now I join the ranks of the forgotten....
a disabled veteran who has lost his sense of purpose
Longing to go back to the fight......
even though it brings me nighmares.....
I dream of making a difference
To put right what went wrong too many times in Iraq
I wish so much that I could get back to the person I was back then......before PTSD....before the war
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2011: Jan