By my side

These men shall die

At these thoughts I deeply cry

The ground shakes and Earth rumbles

Filled with bullet wounds

People stumble

I look to my left for a lone survivor

But instead seen blood

And nothing milder

When I look to my right I see a man, freshly covered in gore

"Kill me..." He says tearfully

And nothing more...

I can't control it now

The tears won't stop

"How is this happening?!" I wonder. "How?!"

As I begin ponder why

He's shot in the eye

Standing, a man, with a look of wry and twisted pleasure

My face is now covered

With a victim's blood

My fellow men, probably beneath the mud

In a state of panic I begin run

Hoping that soon

This is all done

I try and try but trip on barbed wire

My face now burns

As if on fire

I soon start fading in the grass

Perhaps my soul

Is free at last

But I soon awake in a cot

Where I am

I have ill-thought

When I look around I see my men

Covered in blood

Glistening like gems

Breathing increases as my heart beats

My brain now finally

Admitting defeat

By my side

These men have died

And now my friends

Wave my mind good-bye...

A.N

Well, this has been Shell Shocked, my third addition to my awareness series. For those of you who don't know, or haven't guessed, shell shocked is a term to stand for trauma induced in soldiers from excessive stress and mind scarring events from war. To many, this can be known everyday as post-traumatic stress disorder. Symptoms may include:

Hallucinations, constant nightmares of the event, flashbacks, isolation, severe sleep issues, and excessive emotions.

For those wondering about how this poem came about, my history class had been recently studying World War 1, and these was one of the key terms used.

Another reason for me posting this is because I feel that some people who experienced literal Hell don't really get the reconition they deserve. Sure, we have Veterans Day and all that, but do we really reconize them aside from that date? So, I post this, realizing what the poor souls had to experience in defense of our country, and even others.

Sorry for the long note, but I just felt the need to bring these things to light. So, on that note, I hope you liked this story. Please, feel free to give me feed back and tell me what you think of this. If you thought it was good, share it with people you know, and maybe it will speak to somebody. But if you feel that I need to add or fix something, then tell me as well. I want to make sure the poem paints a realistic picture for everyone.

Also, if you are a veteran, or have a relative that is one, please know that my prayers are sent to the military and I hope no one shall be truly forgotten. No deaths or casualties should ever be in vain.

God bless, and farewell everyone.