[user459]

Sticker Shock





Feelings out of nowhere,


A tightness in my gut,


Feelings that I'm worthless,


I'm not what I'd have thought.





A heightened sense of danger,


Real, but undefined,


Sensing eyes upon me,


Or is it just my mind?





What brought this on,


This mental state?


Is it something I saw?


Was it something I ate?





I search my mind,


For recent events,


That triggered this,


That made me tense.





Now I remember,


While driving through town,


I saw a truck,


I think it was brown.





What caught my eye,


As it went past,


Was a simple sticker


On the window glass.





It was black and white,


And said "POW/MIA,


You are not forgotten."


Then it drove away.





It left me in tears,


My eyes started to burn,


Like a mindless robot,


I took the next turn.





I evaded it this time,


But when would I see,


The next reminder,


Of what troubles me?





Terry Rushbrook Ward 8, 2/18/05