I've been hunted by the enemy and held my breath,
I've listened to it playing all around me, the melody of death.
Silence is the prelude, but it won't last long.
That's when you know things are about to go wrong.
As the sound of gunfire begins to play,
I know it's meant for me; if you will, a sort of serenade
To draw me out of the shadows and into the fight,
But I already have the enemy in sight.
The percussion joins in with explosions going off all around,
Showing no signs of backing down.
The ground tremors with the humming of the tanks,
The .90-millimeter main guns don't care about rank.
I've dodged bullets that were dancing all around.
Some weren't as lucky, and they fell to the ground.
The cries of young soldiers are not shadowed by the sounds of war;
They are the sounds that haunt you forevermore.
They all played in sync in this melodic song.
Some of us left, but our memories have never gone.
A sound or a movement is all it takes,
And I'm right back there in that God-forsaken place.
So please take a moment and try to understand.
Soldiers never come back the same man.
We're haunted by the melody that plays in our minds,
Because the song never changes; it only rewinds.
The Effects Of PTSD
The Melody Of Death
Published by Family Friend Poems October 2022 with permission of the Author.
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ABOUT THE POET:
Jodi M. Kucera lives on the eastern plains of Colorado in a farming community, and she loves it there. She is married to her best friend and is a mom to four amazing kids. Jodi is a long-distance runner (how could she not be with those views?). She also bakes and decorates custom cakes.
Jodi is the daughter of an Army Sergeant who...