Mary Lou Adams

WAR DOES NOT END

Returning home the veteran blocked
Vietnam out of his conscious.
Anger was turned outward,
ready to explode, like a walking time bomb.
Terror, guilt, and rage became a part of him.
Marijuana became his sedative.

Memories of fear, heat, and physical
demands of Vietnam engulfed his mind.
Would he ever be ready to leave
Vietnam behind?
When would this mental torment end?
We must not pretend.

War does not end.