Full title: An Analysis of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as it Relates to Facing It by Yusef Komuyakaa

Written: November 18, 2001

In his 1988 book entitled, Dien Cai Dau, Yusef Komunyakaa details a man’s visit to the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial Wall in Washington, D. C. The speaker of the poem is no ordinary man. He is a Vietnam Veteran himself living with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) caused by the horrific events he witnessed during his tour of duty. Komuyakaa does not explicitly say that the visitor to the memorial has PTSD but rather illustrates it through his use of metaphoric and symbolic language.

I said I wouldn’t,
dammit: No tears.
I’m stone. I’m flesh.

In this excerpt, we see that the man begins to weep as he views the memorial. Sufferers of PTSD are subject to emotional outbursts when exposed to items from, discussion of, or visits to places associated with the trauma that caused their PTSD. The speaker was overcome with emotion when he gazed upon the somber remembrance to all whose lives were lost in a never-ending battle. He didn’t want to show that emotion or feel that pain so he tried to strengthen himself by suggesting that he was stone. He that he is still alive and for that he should be thankful stating that he is flesh.
Those afflicted by PTSD often have recurring nightmares and flashbacks that actually feel as though they are real. The person experiencing those flashbacks tends to believe that some aspect of the events which brought on their disorder is occurring at that moment again. This can be a way in which the mind attempts to reverse guilty feelings by trying to relive the event and change it for the benefit of all. The speaker tells us of his flashbacks through Komunyakaa’s words.

I touch the name Andrew Johnson;
I see the booby trap’s white flash.

… a red bird’s
wings cutting across my stare.
The sky. A plane in the sky.
A white vet’s image floats
closer to me, then his pale eyes
look through mine. I’m a window.

Though it is not discussed, I would venture to say that this is an actual experience, to some extent, for the poet who served in the Vietnam War as a young man. In a biography of Komuyakaa, it is stated by Yusef that "a sort of unearthing has to take place; sometimes one has to remove layers of facades and superficialities. The writer has to get down to the guts of the thing and rediscover the basic timbre of his or her existence." This poem seems to be one of his ways of getting down to the “basic timbre of his existence.” He is exploring the feelings that are conjured when he reflects back on his time in Vietnam. This is the first step a PTSD sufferer must make toward gaining back normalcy and a sense of well being, which have been lost since the onset of this disorder.

When a person has PTSD, they lose the ability to have loving feelings towards others and thus their family lives suffer. The feeling of rejection that comes with a divorce can set a person back even further in their recovery. The sufferer also has a hard time dealing with stress and lacks motivation. Most PTSD sufferers are classified as disabled and are unable to work under normal conditions. With all of this happening, it inevitably pushes the person further and further into a pit of despair. It seems that Komuyakaa and his speaker want to bring the images and events to the surface and rise to the top yet again. It is a long road to recovery, but every day becomes a little more livable if a PTSD sufferer is willing to seek psychiatric help.