Mother Knew Best

Their mothers were the first
to know they had it,
even when there was no name for it.
The mothers were the first to realize
their children weren’t the same
as they were before they went to war.
Vietnam veterans move from job to job,
some from wife to wife,
some from place-to-place.
Most veterans are still
in a form of denial,
because denial feels safer
than facing issues.
He worked in a plant
for 30 years,
missing work
often due to problems
later traced to his Vietnam experience.
When he went over there,
he was normal.
By the time he left there,
he was afraid to go home,
because at home
the normal was still there.
He was carrying the abnormal within
and he didn't know how
to turn it back to the normal.