Flying Over Vietnam, 1974

I actually wrote this poem in the late 70's after I returned from teaching in Cambodia; though a civilian I saw something of the terrible devastation the civil wars wrecked on the peoples of Indochina

I flew,
a modern man in a steel bird,
with all the arrogance of
ancient Icarus, but my wings
did not melt nor I swoon.

I flew high, very, very high
over Asian lands and homes--
below me, very, very far
down where the bombs fell
like the rains of hell...
I saw the face of the moon.


(c. 2012)

Reviews

[Fran Marie]

A very poignant and hauntingly emotional piece deeply expressed
Congratulations on your win in the contest..well deserved

[Nolo Segundo]

Thank you, Fran--it is very, very much appreciated.

[Fran Marie]

Welcome dear friend

[Carla]

It was such an emotional poem to read, I can envision it as the picture you painted in my mind was clear and bold

[Nolo Segundo]

Thank you Carla-- it's stayed in my mind even after 4 decades

[Abyss]

I thank you for sharing this piece with me It seems that It is a very deep opened feeling poem and i enjoyed it!

[Nolo Segundo]

Thank you, I appreciate your kind words.

[David E Navarro]

This is a very poignant poem to me that makes a dramatic statement and uses vivid experience to portray to the reader what it was like to so anonymously drop bombs, and carpet bomb an area turning a community of real people with real families, some of whom had nothing to do with the political aspects of the war and just wanted to live their lives, into a devastation that resembled, for the speaker, the face of the moon.

Very dramatic, very solemn. A modern imagistic poem that leaves the reader to ponder the extreme gravity of what this represents, and though the speaker was faithful in carrying out their sworn duty, the humanity of that person shows through as well, not being too well pleased at the necessity of what they did.

A powerful poem all the way around. Very well worded.

In fact, this poem was so remarkable to me when I first read it, that I knew it was a potential winner in our contest, and indeed, it was chosen by NavWorks Press for publication in our volume, Sometimes Anyway.

See my Writer's Café blog for more details: http://www.writerscafe.org/navworks/blogs/Release-of-Two-New-Books/126161/

Excellent work. A solid, well crafted and well spoken poem that conveys meaning deeper than the words themselves and imparts a bit of an experience to the reader.

A solid entry in our anthology, Sometimes Anyway. Thanks for the work.

[Nolo Segundo]

Thank you for your most thoughtful review. The Indochinese wars, like all war, were senseless and terribly sad. I have come to think there may something broken in human nature.