“PTSD” by Joshua Jenkins of Pocahontas was the $100 winner of a poetry contest hosted by the English Club at Black River Technical College.
Twenty eight entries were received. Second place went to Brittany Cox of Lafe for “Dear Sons of Mine.” Cheryl Onley of Paragould won third with “The Thread and Calab Elsperman of Jonesboro with “Time” won Honorable Mention.
“I think the poetry contest is a great opportunity for BRTC students to share their creative talents,” said Lisa Inman, English instructor over the contest. “Poetry it is often stereotyped as being pretentious and difficult to understand; however, I believe our winning poems illustrate the universal appeal of modern poetry and how poetry can be moving and intriguing just like a song.”
PTSD by Joshua Jenkins
The sound of my babies in the morning
should fill my heart with joy, not dread,
this is what you do to me.
Mornings use to be so easy
now I can hardly pry myself from this bed
this is what you do to me.
I find myself yelling and screaming things,
things I would have never dreamt of saying
this is what you do to me.
There are times I come out of a daze,
I try to recall just how I actually got there,
this is what you do to me.
You steal my happiness away
and bring restless nights,
this is what you do to me.
You stole my soul from me
and filled me with anxiety and paranoia
this is what you do to me.
You are invisible
making me look normal
this is what you do to me
But now you are a part of me
not only me, but my family
this is what you do to us.
– Joshua L Jenkins (pictured)
United States Army Retired