Friday, May 24, 2019

FACING IT: A Poem for Memorial Day




 My father served in the army during World War II. One of my mother's first cousins, John Koziski, was  killed in that war. A number of my friends served in the Vietnam War. Two did not return home. I'm
 posting a poem by Yusef Komunyakaa in honor of them and all of our veterans who have served our 
 country during wartime.

 FACING IT
 By Yusef Komunyakaa

My black face fades,   
hiding inside the black granite.   
I said I wouldn't  
dammit: No tears.   
I'm stone. I'm flesh.   
My clouded reflection eyes me   
like a bird of prey, the profile of night   
slanted against morning. I turn   
 

this way—the stone lets me go.   
I turn that way—I'm inside   
the Vietnam Veterans Memorial
again, depending on the light
to make a differenceVietnam Veterans Memorial Located in Washington D.C., the Memorial is roughly 500 feet wide, and the names of soldiers who died in Vietnam are etched on its black granite walls. For more information and photos, visit The Wall-USA.
   


Click here to read the rest of the poem.




 
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Dani has the Poetry Friday Roundup at Doing the Work that Matters.

 

 

8 comments:

jama said...

Powerful poem, Elaine. I'll always remember the first time I saw the Vietnam Memorial. It made such a huge impact on me seeing all those etched names.

Elaine Magliaro said...

Jama,

When my husband and I visited the memorial, I was brought to tears when we found the names of two friends who had died in that war. It's a powerful monument to the fallen.

Tabatha said...

Nice pick, Elaine. Both the poem and the monument have a strong impact.

Linda Mitchell said...

Wow. these words are powerful. At first, when I was reading it, the thoughts seemed scattered and I was annoyed. But, by the end, I see the point in that. The brushing of the boy's hair. Oh, my goodness. What an ending. Beautiful poem for today. I'm sad that Rolling Thunder is ending here in DC. But, I understand.

Cheriee Weichel said...

That is some profound poem. It reminded me of There's a Wall in Washington, a song by Iris DeMent. So of course I had to go and listen to it. You can hear it here. https://youtu.be/mL9rrCJkBJs

Carol Varsalona said...

Thank you, Elaine, for the poem you shared on this special holiday. I've been to the wall in Washington so the song brings back memories.

Mary Lee said...

So powerful. Thank you.

Dani said...

The photographs that accompany your poem tie your message together beautifully, Elaine. Thank you for sharing today.