Homecoming

They came back

But not the same

To them, it’s a different game

Walking the streets to you and me

How hard can it be

What’s to see

Five hundred metres up high

If they can’t see it

They might die

A car brakes

He shakes

Footsteps behind him

Just people on the road

The hairs explode

The woman who screams as the madman spins round

Just didn’t realise

Just didn’t realise

He was never stood down.

Reviews

[barleygirl]

I love this more, each time I read it. This is so fresh & original -- showing instead of telling, becuz your phrasing makes each line feel like different-sized shrapnel, hitting hard. "The hairs explode" is brilliant imagery, using so few words but conveying a full-body sensation intensely. This is so authentic & powerful! (((HUGS))) Fondly, Margie

[Paul Bell]

Always amazed at how they're expected to just blend straight back into civilian life.

[barleygirl]

I'm still stuck back on the part where they're expected to learn how to kill . . .

[Amanda Moubarak]

well written. like your style

[Paul Bell]

Thanks, Amanda.

[apennylate]

What is this... Some fanatic spree of word-assault? Oh, no, it is a response to the frantic feeling of not having a war to wage anymore... Or is it flashes of PTSD... I just did not realize...
At least they come back, right?
But what is a shell without a soul...
I would call it a human pretending to be human...

[Paul Bell]

No more wars, no more empty shells returning home. You just know it's never going to happen.

[apennylate]

Not as long as humans desire validation of ego, and we continue to put these creatures in positions of power... Nope, not gonna stop...

[Mrudula Rani]

Usually the aftermath of trauma is worse than the incident itself. Expecting some one to return to normal life after fighting ( emotional or physical) battle is thoughtless, and irresponsible attitude. They need a whole lot of moral support just to survive in this world .

[Paul Bell]

You are right, too much thinking time in the aftermath of war.

[Gee]

We've started employing ex servicemen on construction sites as trainee
mamagers. Every now and again they let slip stories of mates being blown up, of seeing women and children killed. No wonder they struggle to adjust.
One ex marine, on taking his first paid holiday out of the service, said it was nice to relax and not think every f****r had it in for him.
Hi Paul, hope you are well

[Paul Bell]

I can imagine they've got all sorts of stories to tell.
But the more they talk the better it gets.

[Annette Pisano-Higley]

Paul, this poem is such a sad and authentic account of what happens to soldiers, and other victims, suffering with untreated PTSD. It is a curse, a violator of good minds. Your amazing staccato, dramatic, rhythmic (like a soldier’s march), well-rhymed lines poignantly call out the trick, the torture, of false delusions engendered by unprocessed trauma, - “...”as the madman spins around..Just didn’t realize..Just didn’t realize..He was never stood down.” Trauma begets trauma, and without professional help and treatment, breaks lives by assault or default. Violent response to a false trigger resulting in tragic collateral damage of war. This is a most knowledgable, compassionate, important statement poem that should be heard by all. Thank you and I applaud you my friend.

[Paul Bell]

True and sad account right enough. The amount of ex servicemen in prison or on the streets, committing suicide. Used and abused when needed, all for meaningless wars.