Notice of absence from Distant View
I will not be around at MPS for a short while. I am working on a couple of songs right now, so poetry is having to take a back seat. I hope to be back fairly soon ~ Robert
I will not be around at MPS for a short while. I am working on a couple of songs right now, so poetry is having to take a back seat. I hope to be back fairly soon ~ Robert
The war rages on
inside your head.
I know you were
wounded --
we thought you
were dead.
They gave you
a medal
for standing
your ground.
But now you
just sit there,
not making
a sound.
No-one can
reach you,
you're so far away.
I don't think
you knew me
when I called
today.
I talked and I
touched you,
and I held your hand.
But you didn't hear me,
or understand.
I'll freely admit
I weep for you,
brother.
So does our father,
and so does poor mother.
The war is now over,
that's what they've said.
But not for you, brother --
not inside your head!
-RH-
-
Author:
Distant View (Pseudonym) (
Offline) - Published: February 9th, 2025 15:42
- Comment from author about the poem: This is obviously an anti-war poem. Which war? All of them... past, present and future!
- Category: Unclassified
- Views: 59
- Users favorite of this poem: NinjaGirl, sorenbarrett, Teddy.15, Poetic Licence, Doggerel Dave, Accidental Poet
Offline)
Comments15
The ways this can be interpreted are amazing... Mental health, political rampage, and even dementia... I can see them all. This is a beautiful poem.
Thank you for your considered comment! Yes, the poem is open to all of the things you say here! Glad you like it!
Fantastic poem this is incredible!
Thank you for your kind words! Much appreciated!
I have known so many that have and stil suffer from PTSD. They have served in wars from Vietnam to Afganistan and suffered personal injuries and watched their brothers in arms become wounded and die in their arms. I have known some since their childhood and others I've treated in the hospital and office. A tragedy relived each day. Thank you for writing this poem it speeks with quiet power.
Thank you for your considered comment! I am glad that you could relate to this poem!
I have known so many that have and stil suffer from PTSD. They have served in wars from Vietnam to Afganistan and suffered personal injuries and watched their brothers in arms become wounded and die in their arms. I have known some since their childhood and others I've treated in the hospital and office. A tragedy relived each day. Thank you for writing this poem it speeks with quiet power.
I have known so many that have and stil suffer from PTSD. They have served in wars from Vietnam to Afganistan and suffered personal injuries and watched their brothers in arms become wounded and die in their arms. I have known some since their childhood and others I've treated in the hospital and office. A tragedy relived each day. Thank you for writing this poem it speeks with quiet power.
Post war and so very lyrically done, yes once we've seen the horrors of war from the front line it must be impossible to wash away. Wonderful sad yet incredibly humbling. 🌹
Thank you for your comment, my friend! Much appreciated!
War poetry or more specifically anti war poetry is probably my favourite genre and is very dear to my own heart and reflects my own values .. this fine example is particularly poignant and well crafted .. with a twist that cuts deep to the hilt and to the quick .. Neville .. p.s. welcome back brother
Thank you very much, Neville, for all of your words here!
How sad, a living death. Your effort to communicate is well spoken. Nice work, heartfelt.
Thank you very much! I appreciate your comment!
Welcome to MPS 🙏🏻🕊
Thank you for your kind welcome!
A very poignant, touching and heartfelt write about the devastation of war on countries and people, and the fact that the bullets may stop, but for some people the effects of war go on for ever. Beautiful write.
Thank you for your comment! Much appreciated!
You are very welcome
A rich lyricism which defines some of the effects of war with almost too much clarity. Thank you for that.
Thank you for the comment, Dave! I'm back at MPS, to some degree, as you can see! I wander off to do other things, but that's life!
Welcome back Robert, you've been missed. I had a neighbor who came home from Viet Nam and the war followed him home. Bombs exploding near by, bullets whizzing by his head, and his best friend dying in his arms. He could never get the war out of his head, flinching every few minutes from the far away bullets of yesterday. I always felt so bad for him, that I wasn't able to take away his turmoil. I think about him a lot. Ten years older than me, but always like a big brother to me. A heartfelt write. 🌹
Thank you, my friend -- for your comment and for the welcome back!
The mental scars last long after the war has ended. A new war starts inside the head. Tragic all round. There are no winners in war. Only losers. Good to read you again.
Thank you very much, Cassie! I appreciate your comment!
A wonderful, poignant poem on the horror and terrible cost of war. My father served in the US Army in Vietnam and has PTSD as well as suffering the effects of agent orange. An awful reality that has severely lessened the quality of his life the older he has gotten. Of course, he went years without ever being diagnosed with PTSD, another all too true reality for way too many people Anyway, I could go on, but this poem hit home for me. Well done, my friend! 🙏🌹👏
Thank you for your comment! I'm glad this poem resonated with you, but I am sorry for the things your father had to go through, and for the lasting effects of his ordeal.
Thank you. Much appreciated. You are welcome, my friend. Thank you for the write.
Fantastic work.
Thank you for your kind comment! Much appreciated!
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