Here stands a man
A shadow of himself
Burdened by guilt
And failing health

Yet on the outside
You would fail to see
The trauma and pain
That resides within me

My apparent smile
Is perceived as joy
A simple disguise
I like to employ

My social disdain
Is seen in reflection
Yet...I masquerade
To avoid your attention

But as time passes by
The cracks, they appear
Leaking my soul
Through a solitary tear

Keeping a distance
Is the only way
To stop the trauma
Releasing today

Deep in thought
Consumed by fear
I watch them fight
Their own ideas

They speak for me
They speak for them
They speak as though
I’m mute again

My tears run slow
Eyes well with dread
Their sermons preached
As though i’m dead

Yet I am here
My mind’s intact
As they expose
The hairline cracks

Decisions made
They all agree
Awkward eyes
Return to me

Papers passed
My future laid
Represented
By union trade

I sit at home
I wait for news
I look online for
Similar views

Breaking down
My body aches
As I endure
Life mistakes

Repeat

*Showing the inhuman side, when policy and procedure comes out to play

I am a prisoner
Confined
Locked by the thoughts
In my mind
History frozen
In time
Reliving the moment
Of crime

Etched in his mind,
The internal war,
Haemorrhaging blood,
Hidden once more,

Slowly he’s dying,
His body too weak,
Paralysed lips,
Unable to speak,

Traumatic life,
Slipping away,
His heavy soul,
Aching today.

He witnessed it all,
The burden unseen,
Screaming their names,
Tortured in dream,

His cries settle,
His memory fades,
Wiping the tears,
For former comrades.

(Repeat)

He sat by the fire and raised a glass
Mumbling words from his secret past
I watched him wipe some tears away
As he recalled their final days

As a curious child, I wondered why
My heroic father would sit and cry
Or scream out, from his soaked bed
Pleading to stop the noise in his head

We would hide away, each bonfire night,
In fear of the noise, the smoke and the light
He thought our home was under attack
Lost in the daze of a random flashback

As he grew old I understood why
This brave soldier would sit and cry
He lost his family not bound by blood
Witnessed things that no human should

Mental scars burned deep in his mind
From the devastation, he left behind
He was a prisoner of war every day
Locked in a memory…
...his mind would replay

I watch the waves
Crashing down below
I see the lighthouse
Lighting up the snow

I watch the sunset
Slipping out of sight
I see all the ships, make
Portraits in the night

I watch the stars intently
As colour fills my eyes
Tears of amazement
In wonder of the skies

I leave the embers glowing
I let my feet lead the way
Following the imprints
Along the rustic quay

I rest upon the harbour
I see your face appear
My is heart beating, racing
As we meet along the pier