Vietnam
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Countless ideologies arise
allies axis
accord not in sight
world combats
queen and eagle
is the weapon
that beats back the boche
Sunset fades slowly from the sky.
Massive blocks of polished stone
list the nation's slain.
"The Wall" looms stark and grim.
An apologetic monument
to men who died; in vain?
Mat Ga Trong,
the Sun Goddess of Vietnam.
Is now,
the most popular girl at school.
Her long black hair flowing freely against her back,
Her eyes filled with a flaming passion,
I am a lotus, once grown in the dirty, filthy mud
A flower that resonates with the sun and the northern mountains filled with flood
I am a buffalo who is big, stubborn, dark-skinned, and slow
Keith explained a little,
of his time in Vietnam,
he said the weather outside reminded him of it.
It was gloomy outside.
Being myself is so hard sometimes.
I am a muslim woman.
I am also a vietnamese woman.
I am a bisexual Vietnamese muslim woman.
I am part of the first generation in my family born outside of Vietnam.
My America is red;
Cherry lemonade by the side of a pool
In the summer of my childhood
Lips stained with sugary popsicles and fresh watermelon.
It is red like Coca Cola;
The kind from glass bottles
Born down in a dead mans townThe first kick I took was when I hit the groundEnd up like a dog that's been beat too muchTill you spend half your life just covering up
Born in the U.S.A., I was born in the U.S.A.
Long, fiery,
Her scale glimmers through the waters,
Rouge and yellow.
She protects the land, forming long mazes,
Left to Right.
All who comes will fear her, for she is
Long, fiery.
Vietnam my home away from home.
The place where parents were born
From the loud motorcycle's horn,
To the vast street vendors across the town,
To the dreams I discover in the fields of rice,
They say small numbers don't define you and they tell you that you can be whatever you want, disregarding the numbers but still, they ask
"How tall are you?"
They look at you, from head to toe, and always, they ask,
Followed by
'Forget about the war.'
If only it was so easy.
Events or news.
Of some are seeking.
A war with Iran.
Brings back memories.
WHY?
WHY?
WHY?
WHY?
WHY?
WHY?
WHY?
Why did we killed in Vietnam?
Why were we born?
Just to die.
And have our names.
MOTHER,
Wake me
From this nightmare.
I been in this nightmare
Since all those months.
I spent with hunger,
Death and fear
As my companions.
There's a room
Where memories,
Of what I became,
In Vietnam.
Just to survive,
Are stored,
They're locked tight,
And not to be opened.
Put down the gun
take off the helmet,
unstrap the boots
wipe off the blood.
Halt the tanks,
discard the missiles,
write me back
come home soon.
Just end the war
Bang, bang
You hear their shots being fired
It's only a matter of time now
Before the whole place is covered
Your friend lies there in pain
Will you soon be doing the same?
We're goin' out to war, they say,
To fight the Vietcong.
We're goin out to die today
So we can get along.
We're goin' out with honor,
To search and to destroy,
Note: This poem was originally written for my band in which I play drums in. I became inspired to write it when I was bored in AP US History.
My Father survived the war of Laos,He was just a young boy then.He talks about his early life,Using a slingshot to take out game and mice.He would tell stories of when the soldiers arrived,And how afraid he was
I dreamt.
with the man who had been to Vietnam
speaking at school
over the book he wrote about
war
I knew you
in your light gray ARMY shirt
pulled over the potbelly,
would be coming to visit
Escaping
This bitter taste couldn’t be so sweet
Trying to escape the reality of this place.
We continue to fight through day and night
In these terrible conditions
Black gabbro glints in the sun
The thousands of names forever immortalized
Or so it should seem
Yet too easily it is forgotten
The true toil of those who fought
