Thought I served my country well
Lucky survivor of that jungle from hell
Didn't want a shaded past
Chose to serve when I was asked
Coming home from that senseless war
Couldn't know what I had in store
Angry protestors threw food on me
Radical act you must agree
Damaged my life that moment in time
As I cleared the food, spit and slime
A personal war began in me
It's clear for all who care to see
Once at home about the same
Friends gave me a lot of shame
Stress so high I started to bleed
Asked for help in my time of need
VA said it all looks good
Shell shock is what they understood
I started to run with nowhere to hide
Couldn't find a doc to confide
All my life I kept so busy
Ran around in an unending tizzy
Couldn't face my feelings then
Intrusive thoughts again and again
Finally I had to seek some support
The VA was my last resort
"PTSD is what fills your head
Take these pills just before bed"
My hands and face all went numb
To these new meds I had just succumb
Tried to stand up but sat right back down
Because my head was spinning 'round
My pressure spiked to 183
How are these pills so good for me
Please just send me back to war
Better than these meds I abhor
300 hours of counseling endured
With no resolution being assured
Then a diagnosis of oedipus conflict
The deepest wound my Doc could inflict
We medics have a number one rule
"Do no harm" we learned in school
Perhaps the VA should adopt this saying
Might reduce the price that we are paying
Some are hit and lost right away
Some come home and die a little everyday
But there's hope after that lousy war
Therapeutic writing can help us restore
