Reprinted with permission from Veterans Voices, Summer 2022
Forgive me if I’m not at my best.
My strength and fortitude have been put to the test,
for you see I’ve been to war.
My body bears scars
and I harbor memories of death and gore.
Allow me to put my mind to rest.
Forgive me if I’m not at my best.
I’ve been shot at and hit many times:
Sometimes I feel I have nine lives.
If I’m foggy and ill at ease,
it’s because I have recurring dreams.
My Purple Heart rests in my war chest
Forgive me if I’m not at my best.
Sometimes I’m in a dark space:
I am alive today because of God’s grace.
I strive daily to overcome
combat images that leave me numb.
I am what I am, I attest.
Forgive me if I’m not at my best.
“A soldier’s life is never the same
when they have been to war.”
