To My Fellow Veterans

To My Fellow Vets

2 all my fellow vets; its time 4 us to elevate
Time 2 let go of our triggers; remove the tendency to self-medicate

Exhaling, tired of crying, seems that’s all I tend to do
I feel like I’m losing my mind, not sure what is true

Constant thoughts, running through my mind, how do I make it stop
I just feel like rain, constantly pouring eventually it drops

Angry outburst at people, because they don’t understand my pain
My past, military experience runs often through my brain

Who can I trust, enemies all around me; who is for real
It’s like I am dying many deaths, that’s the real deal

Going to doctors, in hopes that there is a cure for PTSD
But only my fellow Vets grasp my thoughts and really see

TBIs, shell shocked, I’m panicky all the time
Maybe I need to go scream, go somewhere just to unwind

Constantly in isolation, avoidance of crowds, that’s suitable 4 me
It seems that is a normal solution; but what’s normal for me

We are trained ’for discipline, or 1 shot 1 kill”
Not realizing what they turned on or what they instilled

Scared to go to sleep because nightmares are always there
I am frequently trying to avoid sleep but can’t go no where

I have to catch myself because I am unpredictable
Not knowing if my mood would change, I’m feeling unstable

Its like people want us to fail, so many bets
No one understands my plea, my cries but my fellow Vets.

Valerie E. Young