War Zoned Poem by Ted Sheridan

I was gone for weeks this time and nobody missed me
It was just like the last time when I disappeared
Into the deep dark and dangerous jungle for a year
And when I finally emerged alive and well
My hair was long and my beard hid my face from view
No one recognized me as a wounded warrior but instead
Chose to see me as just another escaped animal
That needed to be caged or quarantined for my own protection
Because in all likelihood I had become a real killer
I had blood stains on my hands and my breath smelled like death
My teeth were sharp and my even sharper eyes x-rayed my chosen prey
I could count the ribs on my side with my fingerless hands
And I was extremely hungry for anything that moved
It was then I knew for sure that I would never be able to adapt
To a civilized world in which people pretended not to know
Where the bodies are all buried
Yet they erect a monument to commemorate the atrocities
Committed on their behalf….


(2007)