June 22, 2011
Ho Chi Minh Anew: A Poem
NOTE: This is a poem I wrote in 2000 about my 1994 trip to Vietnam. I thought I’d post it here for others to enjoy.
At the end of the descent
The passengers leaned near
Windows, eyeing the old tarmac
It awaits them, with history unclear
The soldiers with wives
Lucky, having support close at hand
Alone, the widowers stared down
Clutching armrests, unsupported and unwilling to stand
Came through the customs gate
Scarred and scared, yet curious
Paused just long enough
Passport cleared without legs buckling under
Fraught, the trip was long
Hotel transfer then it’s over
Chance to get their bearings strong
Or feeling overwhelmed, running for cover
Sights and sounds, different yet the same
The thoughts coursing through
The past, many moments of danger
No longer filtered, bad dreams so true
The bus winds slowly southward
Roads full of bumps, in pavement and in mind
Flashes of rice fields and innocent pointed hats
Skies alight at night, returning fire in kind
Stumbling forth out the door, sunshine beams
The streets are full, normal business all around
How short it seems, not long ago
When they were here, war ruled every inch of ground
Familiar words, familiar food
Amazing how it all comes back
There were some days of good
New-found treasures before mass attack
Intact families, rare in number
Rarely seen, exploring the country
Which abounds in beauty and bounty
Fighting armies put asunder
Now old men view anew
This place not forgotten
Lands destroyed, people ruined
A cause gone rotten
The draft had arrived offering little choice
In response to the military’s call
Brave in the face of family, were we
Waving goodbye, standing tall
Off to foreign soil, where youth was lost
Our training was no preparation
Deployed into malaria-infested jungles and swamps
Forced to fight without trepidation
Where were the rulers?
To spare the unnecessary waste
While dying men soldiered on
Commanders shouting, make haste
The whirring speed of grenades in flight
Dropping near, the destruction in sight
Bullets raining from the sky
In fright, whole villages scurry by
Today, the veterans see
Tanks and jeeps and artillery strewn
On the passing roadways and
Across blood-soaked farmlands in ruin
Affronted by the newness
Yet, bewildered by the strange sameness
They have come to have one last look
Old dreams are dying, withering with age
Now, forging only good memories for their mind’s book
Of friends and foe alike
Finding peace and tranquility
With the grace and wisdom of a sage.
