I'm not American but I've met and befriended many veterans of Vietnam and other wars the US Army has fought. Here is one to them this their day of recognition.




PTSD on Memorial Day

 

He is there knees on the predieu 

Rump against the seat of the

old oak pew under the choir loft 

in front of the shrine to St Jude

 

The metallic clunk of quarters in

The offering bank as babuska

Covered old women light vigil

Candles to hopeless causes

 

His head hung low in fierce prayer

His rosary in mumbled motion

His eyes tight against intrusion

Strangling the demon within

 

Slowly he uncoils his tension

As angels in holding patterns

Alight to guard his six o’clock

As he conquers yet another

 

Recon mission from hell

Church bells sound its knell





Poetry by josephus The PoetBay support member heart!
Read 209 times
Written on 2021-05-30 at 14:12

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Michael R. Burch
This is a very vivid poem.

But the last line is a bit confusing. If you mean that the church bells sound the knell of the recon mission and/or its hell, there would be no apostrophe in "its."

If you mean anything else, I cannot parse the line:

Church bells sound it is knell

Since with an apostrophe "it's" always means "it is" or "it has."

Mike
2021-05-31



You limn the scene skillfully. Bookmarked! A very moving poem.
2021-05-30