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rickwrites submitted a contest entry to
Write a poem (or letter) about a turning point in your life 8 months, 2 weeks ago
Incoming
So I’m a veteran now..
Help me open this
C & P exam notification.
Look at that,
a winner has been selected
for my mental health’s raffle.
Combat activity report card reads as follows:
2 deployments for me
&
93% on the subject of
American history.I felt the ghosts
of our heroes
let their tears fall
over my shoulder,
because the heaviest pen in
the planet struggled to check the box that was applicable to me.I’ve been feeling decently
until recently,
when I was notified,
that everything
that I try to hide
in the tombs of my psyche,
will be –
resurrected,
dissected,
&
placed under
a microscope.
Picture my ptsd..
As a protozoa in a petri dish,
just small enough that I will never
feel whole (fill hole)
unless I open up,
I will never heal my soul…Or maybe a telescope,
for everytime I’ve
spaced
out.There’s a dissonance
in the distance that
slightly resembles the terror that
holds my happiness hostage.
“Incoming,”
Incoming,
Incoming!any alarm
& this action movie
shapeshifts
into the horror genre,Michael Bay
transforms into
Stephen King.“It” is
“The Pet Semetery”
Where
“Cujo”
Is buried,
alarms also make me feel like
Jon Coffee walking
“The Green Mile.”The Doha Accord was signed on
29 Feb, 2020.Despite this alleged “armistice,”
the mirage in the dark was the target of many armaments..12 bombs…I think?
like scalping your enemy,
i’ve tried to sever
that memory from my head,
but try as I might,
it hangs on by a thread,
how could I ever forget
the bomb that knocked me out of my bed?& the subsequent phone call
to my parents..
telling them how
f*cking scared I was.Oh, the heartbreak harbored in their eyes,
for only a handful of times,
have they seen their son cry,
but anytime I heard
Incoming, incoming, incoming..
It was at least possible
I might die.I genuflect to inspect
These 17 coins I have earned,
Jaded-
I helped pack the grave dirt of far to many urns.
The petri begins denting from the inside.Still Sealed by the gravity
That re-wrote history:
the fat man who crashed
bockscar in
Nagasaki.Or
the little boy birthed
from enola gay
in Hiroshima.“Do alarms really bother you?”
“Yes, it’s my heart beat playing hide and seek,”
“Is it getting any better?”
“Not really,
Every time I try & get some sleep
I hear the floorboards creak,”
“Isn’t it just another noise?”“No.
It’s every thought I’ve ever had against my life,
The Grim Reaper’s sychte felt so cold upon my cheek…”Im thankful for all of the help
that I have seeked,
for the last 4.5 years
I have my good days &
bad days,
& I’m hopeful that
one day,
it will be
Just Another Noise.
But until then,
I hope you see everyone is different after they’ve deployed.Voting is closed
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First and foremost, thank you so much for your sacrifice and service. I cannot articulate how grateful I am for people like you. Secondly, this poem is a beautiful representation of your experience with PTSD. I cannot imagine how it would feel to suffer from those intrusive thoughts, but I am inspired by your tenacity in seeking help. I hope that you are able to find peace! Thank you for sharing your story.
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Emmy, thank you for the encouraging words. This was def a breakthrough poem for me. I’m doing my best to pour into my writing.
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Thank you for your service. This piece is so brilliant and so real. And the ending brings it all together in such a poetic and powerful way. I hope with each word you type, the pain gets a little lighter as you inspire others and release the reality of what you went through. Sending hugs. <3 Lauren
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I appreciate these words, Lauren. I’ve been making life more manageable and this poem was a huge turning point for me and I brought it the final stage at the Chicharra last year.
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