Sans Shield

by Ryan Stovall

all mothers always stand

stiff and proud

for all the world to see

but all mothers have always longed

to whisper to all sons

sans shield is fine

just return to me

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“Sans Shield” is an excerpt from Ryan’s Black Snowflakes Smothering a Torch or how to talk to your veteran – a primer

Ryan Stovall is a former adventurer, world traveler, and Green Beret twice decorated for valor and awarded two Purple Hearts. Since returning from Pakistan in 2016 he has found writing to be a therapeutic outlet for coping with PTSD. His poetry won the 2018 Wright Award from Line of Advance and has appeared in Rosebud, The Cape Rock, Here Comes Everyone, and other journals and anthologies. Ryan writes and lives with his family in Western Maine.For more information contact christopher@woodhallpress.com

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As the Voice of the Veteran Community, The Havok Journal seeks to publish a variety of perspectives on a number of sensitive subjects. Unless specifically noted otherwise, nothing we publish is an official point of view of The Havok Journal or any part of the U.S. government.