Prisoners of War
By Don Iannone

Are you a prisoner of war like me?
Are you unable to set yourself free?
Is your world shattered like a broken glass?
Does life always seem to head you off at the pass?
Do you ever wake up at night painfully screaming,
because of what you lived and not what you were dreaming?
Does happiness seem to elude you like smoke?
The tears get stuck making you choke.
Is each day in your life an endless bloody battle?
Do your words at times seem senseless prattle?
Does the sound of a plane passing overhead,
make you wish you were suddenly dead?
Does the backfire of a car on the street passing by
remind you of gunfire and how you could die?
Does any of this make sense to you?
When you think deep does it seem true?
Like you, I've fought the battle of life.
Too little love and too much strife.
It took me a while, but finally I'm free.
No more battles because finally I see.
I mourn for my buddies who float at sea.
Some prisoners of war for eternity.