POEM: SILENT PAIN
BY TIM ‘DOC’ BAILES
I often sit and ponder
Over long forgotten years
Of days and nights
In other lands
When my smiles were turned to tears
My spirit had ventured gladly
To these places torn in strife
No one could see
The kid in me
Was soon to lose his life
When innocence meets evil
And turmoil is at hand
It’s plain to see
That mentally
My head was in the sand
I feared to cry too often
And ceased to feel the pain
Shrieking screams
Were in my dreams
Their vision to remain
Thoughts too painful to pursue
Guilt was often on my mind
I hid that pain
Deep inside my brain
Somewhere I hoped to never find
Upon my return the world to me
Was different than before
The child, withdrawn
Had all but gone
To be heard from nevermore
Two score and some odd years have passed
Since time has stopped for me
I feel it’s strange To make a change
But I know this has to be
That silent pain I hide in vane
Took its toll you see
I can attest
I’m not my best
I’d always hoped to be.