(Trauma Recovery Program)

We have all aged since our time in the war,
And with our depression and hate we haven’t come very far,
We still remember well, those times of dread,
And the ghosts of our past won’t leave our head.

So we hit rock bottom with feelings of despair,
We’ve run off most of the one’s who really did care.
And when we tried to reach out to finally share ,
The one’s who loved us most were not anywhere.

So some how we stumbled on the V.A. scene,
To get help from someone for too long it’s been,
The voices in our heads waiting to scream,
But the only way we do it, is in a dream.

So here we are at TRP not knowing what it’s all about,
Hoping some day the ghosts will be exercised out.
The doctors and councilors really do care,
They listen to our ramblings and the things we share.

I don’t understand why they do,
But I thank God every day for them and you.
Maybe some day we will be able to cope,
And readjust our lives, never losing that hope.

Thank you to all of you for your concern and knowledge,
Of how to teach us what you learned in college,
You are making a difference for us on that edge,
Hoping we won’t jump off that ledge.
Maybe some day we all will be, able to cope with our PTSD.

MORE Poems by Keith Bodine

Visit Keith Bodine's website at: www.hack1966.com

Return to Vietnam Poetry Page