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He screamed orders,
a dishonorably discharged god,
rewiring my nervous system.
Do this. Don’t do that.
March, salute, obey.
A picture-perfect love,
red, white, and blue deception.
Inside, I bled.
Holding my insides,
terrified to tell the world—
you were the bullet,
the war,
the wound that never healed.
About the Creator
L.K. Rolan
L.K studied Literature in college. She lives with her handsome, bearded boyfriend Tom and their two cats.
They all enjoy cups of Earl Grey tea together, while working on new stories and planning adventures for the years ahead.
Reader insights
Outstanding
Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!
Top insight
Heartfelt and relatable
The story invoked strong personal emotions
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Comments (11)
So intense, great poetry
Been there. Done that. Lost the t-shirt in the divorce. Well-wrought!
Your poem vividly captures the intense and painful emotions of betrayal and enduring trauma. Well done.
Omgggg, this was so heartwrenching! Loved your poem!
Whew. This one punches hard and leaves a sting. The imagery is sharp, the pain raw, and that last line? Brut
Nice work . Please check my stories out as well if you get a chance.
Powerful and raw depiction of trauma and control.
This is awesome. I especially love the first stanza. ⚡💙⚡
Such an extremely sad poem - Nicely articulated.
This feels allegorical with the mention of red, white and blue and yet, also deeply personal.
such a sad poem that's a fact of life for so many