Post War Stress Syndrome (A Veteran’s Shadow)

relived agony daylight
retina ghost memories,
haunting nerve penetrating
hex-exceptional reflection,

spectral sounds tear torn images
written in haunted living spear blood,
deep scared, survival wound honest
intuitive bleed, cratered understanding,

cross born partial soul survival
residue burden guilt still breaks,
nerves fraying, combat old youth age
compounding initiated, old fraged age,

shell shock is par for dead nailed course
yet assaults afflicted raw burden senses,
memories claw corpses who must watch
this later years flash back disintegration,

with too close and caring an oppressed eye
witnesses scenes reenacting wound fresh dye

poem by Terence George Craddock
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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