Survived Only Never Came Home the Same

Ribbons of confetti are streaming
out of the surviving building's with people hanging from them

And everyone to be seen in this 
procession is both smiling happy
and partying to the sound of
accompanying victory triumphant
blarring music

As on this day glory be the war
is finally over and at an end

Our loved one's soldiers father 
men son's and brothers will soon enough be returning and joining
us at home once again

So mother's clean and primp the
family home put fresh sheets on 
the bed and cook whatsoever welcoming meal with rations
they have left

Expecting to greet with loving
embrace the loved one they so
missed who left

Only for a shadow of a former
self to return in place of them 
instead 

A virtual lookalike both framed the
same yet somehow different behind
eye's as if he was a distant stranger 
taken over subservient to his past

Long before post traumatic distress
was deemed to be a clinical condition

Because alas roaming lost and confused dodging shell's and
ammunition is the only thing his 
mind has become accustomed to

As to him a warn torn soldier
his home is no longer
the place he left or a place he
can return to

But the final resting place where
his brethren died in ernest and
as any soldier worth his salt knows

It's a dereliction of one's sworn
duty to never leave anyone behind
Copyright © | Year Posted 2020

Poem

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Kavanagh  Avatar
October 21, 2020 at 7:07 AM
Powerful writing Christopher it’s true most soldiers even the live ones are still on the battlefield post war, virtually impossible to erase from memory esp in the days as you said before PTSD, was seen as cowardliness, what a nightmare you portray here, cheers David
Flaherty Avatar
October 22, 2020 at 1:39 PM
David Left to roam in rags
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