"I'd give an arm and a leg to be whole again,"
the man in the wheelchair said, missing limbs.
Missing the mystery/suspense/naiveté
of a soldier headed overseas to
who knows what fate awaits him.
(Now he knows.) Missing dead friends
he never would have known, but for the war.
Missing when he once
parked in a handicap zone
risking a ticket. Missing full-bodied
anonymity in a faceless crowd--
now he sticks out like a sore thumb
on a hand with no fingers. He's
missing his pre-Georgie Porgie days,
back when he could hold and be held,
when he felt full forward immortal.
Now there's no one to hold on to,
seems all he ever does is hold back
knowing there's no going back to
before the horror. It's not so hard
bleeding through the I.E.D. blast,
it's surviving the day-to-day aftermath;
the brutality of a gentle teary kiss goodbye,
pity pissing and falling all over itself
in deference to phantom pains and stumps,
it's more than a soul can endure.
He's missing an appointment
because he misjudged his approach
and flipped on the lip of a ramp.
The man trapped in half a man's body,
stuck beneath his own wheels spinning,
pinned under the clumsy life sentence
of a rolling chair, SWEARS to the
sheepish crowd gathered round that
if he had it to do all over again
he would...no...he won't go there.
Author notes
Written June 11th, 2006
A contest entry
- Censored by ea.
300 points, ended June 12, 2006, 5 entries
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest - Life of a Veteran. by Me a poet-maybe.
1750 points, ended December 25, 2007, 15 entries
Honorable mention
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
What did you think
Comments
1 - 8 of 8
-
Damn what it did to you
damn what it did to me -
-
I have been sitting on this poem a long time, afraid it wouldn't be understood. It is a touchy scary subject. I'm glad it gets to be seen and appreciated here.
-
-
Thanks, PL. I appreciate the sentiment.
-
So Sad Excellent Poem Good Luck In the Contest
-
Thank you
This one hit HOME to many vets and their loved ones, I'm sure.
I wish you the best in the finals...
Welcome Home to the one this is about and my heart breaks for you and your loved ones..Thank You....from the bottom of my heart.
May God be with you and yours.
-
-
I didn't expect such a quick response. Thank you. To all veterans, God bless you with two joys to every pain.
-
-
NO
Thank YOU, if it weren't for loved ones, veterans, and especially those in the process of becoming one would REALLY be in HELL. I can't thank you enough.
BTW would you mind messaging me a copy of the uncensored version....I would LOVE to read it to a veterans group at a VA facility.
Thank you regardless of your answer...just PLEASE...do it AFTER this contest closes, -
-
Actually, this is the uncensored poem, but it was in a contest titled Censored because it's written very strongly about a subject people are uncomfortable with. If you would like to use it I would be very honored.
-
-
-
Adding your comment:
1 - 8 of 8
