Written for: dVerse Poets Pub - Poetics: War Poetry (posted by Bjorn) "War poetry has a long history going back to Homer and before. Actually the oldest piece of literature, the Gilgamesh epos, is at least partly about war. For many years the focus was telling the tale about heroism and (perhaps) victories. Poetry was about writing for the winner. For me, the charge of the light brigade represents something new, the heroic loss, which paves the way for later perspectives into the soldier’s view rather than the victorious general." "Write a war poem." Why were we going to war? Why would we want to kill one half of a country having nothing to do with us? The Draft was passed. Like a lottery, you either had a high number (less chance to be called up) or a lower number. No college, no reprieve. Protests proliferated throughout the country; some moved to Canada. Our youth was tossed into Hell. Friends were blown up in plain sight. Drugs were rife–for some, the only way to make it through without being able to justify it. Thousands wounded or dead. For those who returned, desperate for help, their government turned a blind eye. Now that ignorance comes home to roost. Flash- backs, Agent Orange, PTSD, suicides. Saddest of all is the fact that nothing was won on either side. We should never have been there at all. https://dversepoets.com/
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That was my 60’s Sara, well written.
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Thanks, Rob!
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As I’ve mentioned in other comments, Vietnam destroyed our family ~~~ and countless others as well.
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Truly horrendous.
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Really powerful poem.
I walked along the Vietnam war memorial in DC on a trip to the US years ago, and was just stunned by the number of names, and was in tears by the time I got to the end. It was just staggering.
In Vietnam it’s known as the American War.
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How appropriate. Thanks, Kate.
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Sadly, so very true.
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Thanks for reading, Merrill.
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You’re very welcome!
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That about sums it up. And we just keep repeating our mistakes. If there was still a draft, we might not have gotten so involved in our present unwinnable conflicts. (K)
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Perhaps not, but who knows.
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Amen !!
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Thanks, Kathleen!
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