Today’s prompt: to find a news article, and to write a poem using words from the article. [From article in Prince George Citizen. P. 8. April 28th]

Post -traumatic stress disorder,

A highly-stigmatized condition,

Suicides involving soldiers,

Of the Afghanistan mission.

 

They are taught to hide the pain,

Told to soldier on,

A counsellor had taught him,

How to let go – how to be calm.

 

“I tried to deal with it myself,

The most rattling memories,

Now I understand the symptoms,

From what happened overseas.

 

“I’ve learned to know the triggers,

To avoid and calm myself,

My wife – may God love her,

She said to me, ‘You need  help’”

 

You want to go back to being normal,

But you’ve changed to some degree,

You can’t undo the trauma,

From invisible injury.