An Enemy That Haunts My Mind

ptsdDedicated to combat veterans and PTSD sufferers, wherever they may be…thank you for your service…

By Alan W. Jankowski

In the middle of the night I lie in bed,
Fighting an enemy that’s in my head.
An enemy that’s always there,
An enemy that won’t play fair.
An enemy that haunts my mind,
An enemy that is not kind.
The price paid for doing good,
Of doing like I’m told I should.
Serving my country in time of war,
Who could ever ask for more?
And now even in my deepest dreams,
All I hear is the sound of screams.
Why was I the one to survive?
Why was I the one left alive?
I ask myself every night,
As I relive every fight.
God, please call me home,
Don’t leave me here all alone.
For when I thought the fight was won,
I’m finding the battle’s just begun.
A soldier who was trained to kill,
Finds a battle that’s harder still.
Fighting an enemy I cannot see,
And finding out the enemy is me.
An enemy that haunts my mind,
An enemy that is not kind.

7-11-11

An Enemy That Haunts My Mind is included in We Go On: Charity Anthology for Veterans, available from all major online book retailers.

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© 2011 by Alan W. Jankowski • All rights reserved

Photo © 2005 by Aubrey Arcangel • Used without revision under terms of a Creative Commons license