Souvenirs Poem by Kyle Schlicher

sleepless nights,
restlessness,
isolation
and
a sense of
impending
doom.

nightmares,
feelings of not
belonging,
constant vigilance,
anti social tendencies
and
obsessive compulsive
disorder.

countless
trips
to the va.

missing limbs,
head trauma,
suicidal
and
homicidal thoughts.

a sense of
unworthiness,
a lack of trust
of mankind.

countless
trips
to your therapist.

and
last
but not least
the final
and
often
fatal consequence:

a lost of faith
in yourself.

these
are some of the
souvenirs of war.

5-12-2006