Back Home Poem by Angela Wybrow

Across my body, I feel no pain,
And most folk think that I'm as right as rain;
But, the pain I feel is deep inside -
It's the type of pain that I need to hide.

I never lost a drop of blood,
But, if I hear a bang or a thud,
To the days of war, I am transported back:
Days which, for me, were extremely black.

My life was better in the days before
We went to fight that blasted war;
I'm back with my kids and darling wife,
But, those days of war have changed my life.

I'm back from the war safe and sound,
But, in my mind, memories swim round;
Sometimes when I'm in bed at night,
I find myself reliving each sound; each sight.

The anger within me cannot be tamed,
And people have told me that I'm not the same;
Even the little things seem to annoy:
A tap left running or a noisy toy.

Inside my head, there's such a commotion,
Like waves crashing down on a storm-swept ocean;
The images I see, they cause such alarm:
Oh, how I wish for an ocean of calm.

I feel like I'm going quite insane,
When, my thoughts and feelings, I just can't explain.
I really wish that I could move on,
And that, from my mind, these nightmares were gone.

If only it were possible to fully erase,
The memories of those war-torn days;
I sincerely wish that I could clear my mind,
And that, happier days, I can very soon find.