PHOENIX, AZ — Veterans often face battles that extend beyond their time in service, with challenges following them home. However, a program through Arizona State University is giving former service members a way to express themselves, process their experiences, and connect with like-minded individuals through poetry.
According to 2021 data from the Arizona Department of Health Services, the suicide rate among Arizona veterans is more than three times higher than among non-veterans in the state.
Michael Merkel, a former servicemember, has promised himself he will never take his own life as so many of his fellow soldiers have.
After four years as an infantryman, Merkel struggled to adjust to civilian life and cope with what he saw while serving
"I felt worse for leaving a bunch of guys behind that I was in charge of. That's something that's been eating at me forever," Merkel said. "I viewed myself as a good leader. I viewed myself as somebody who took care of his people. And just saying goodbye and leaving was the hardest thing for me to do, just to send them on their own way, you know, hoping that the next leader that comes in will be there for them like I was."
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That guilt was compounded by the shadow of grief that still hung over him after losing two of his fellow soldiers to suicide.
After an ASU professor sent one of his essays to Phoenix Poet Laureate Rosemarie Dombrowski, writing became his form of therapy.
"[Writing is] getting me up in the morning, putting a smile on my face, just essentially making me more comfortable being in the civilian world," he said.
Dombrowski leads a program called Verses for Vets, an initiative by Arizona State University that offers veterans the opportunity to read and discuss poetry by American authors, including works by veterans themselves, and to put their own stories into words.
Dombrowski describes the process of writing as transformative, referring to poetry as a “magical portal” through which veterans can heal and share their experiences.
"There's a lot of emotion, there's a lot of movement, and always a lot of people saying, 'This is something I would have never written about otherwise. This is something I would have never spoken about otherwise.' And that's the real magic for me," Dombrowski said. "That's the beginning of healing...once you write it down and get it out of the body and the brain, and then if you take that extra step and actually vocalize it, share it with people, that's a path to healing, whether you're aware of it or not."
Merkel says he is also inspired by how the program has helped veterans across generations connect over their own words.
"Some Vietnam veterans… seeing them finally express their stories, it shows something is changing,” he said.
Verses for Vets meets virtually and is available to veterans throughout the Southwest. For veterans interested in joining, contact Rosemarie Dombrowski at poetryphd@outlook.com or visit the ASU Veterans Engagement Center’s website.
