The poem below was written by the daughter of Kim Gressett to her younger brother; Kim's son.
The brother served several tours in Afghanistan and Iraq, and presently suffers from PTSD.
Kim is an active member of the San Angelo Elks Lodge # 1880.
As we get ready to celebrate Veterans day, Kim has asked that this poem be shared with veterans far and wide.

To My Baby Brother

Paint me a picture
let me see inside
Share w/me your pain
and the secrets that you hide
Our lives may be separate
but by blood we are bound
The hurt you think is silent
makes the loudest sound
Everyone can hear it but
no one knows what to do
We all hope and pray
that maybe “love” will save you
You’ve been through a hell
I could never survive
You’ve seen the face of death
and came out alive
It’s hard to live
when part of you is dead
What doesn’t go away
is what lives in your head
Nothing you came back to
is the way it was before
Everything’s so different
you don’t know it anymore
You can’t move on
you can’t let go
The man in the mirror
you no longer know
I know you’re a fighter
so fight for your soul
Use the strength that got you through
to fill in the holes
I want to see through your eyes
what others can not see
I want to chase away the sickness
that won’t let you be
You may think your weak
but I know your strong
Come out of this hell
and prove yourself wrong
I may not be beside you
but I’m still right here
I may not know what haunts you
but I damn sure know your fear.
Paint me a picture
let me see inside

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