Thursday, September 11, 2014
A War Poem
War is a paradox.
When a guy dies, like Curt Lemon,
A real soldier’s soldier,
The pictures get jumbled.
They were just goofing,
The war seemed almost fun.
Then there was a noise
Which must’ve been the detonator.
When he died it was almost beautiful,
The way the sunlight came around him and lifted him up.
He was playing catch with his best friend, Rat Kiley,
Laughing, and then he was dead.
War is hell, but that’s not the half of it
Because war is also mystery
And terror and adventure and courage
And discovery and holiness and pity
And despair and longing and love.
War is nasty.
War is fun.
War is thrilling.
War is drudgery.
War makes you a man,
War makes you dead.
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I agree that war is a paradox, it is beautiful yet ugly, murderous yet life giving. Very deep.
ReplyDeleteI like your text selections from the book that piece together your poem! Nicely done :) I like how you grasped the expansive experiences of war and how it is so many things all in one. I think someone who hasn't studies war much could read your poem and feel more deeply into the intensity and contradiction of being in a war.
ReplyDeleteI think this poem captures O'Brains writing in a very beautiful manner. It shows the points O'Brain made about war, while involving the fact that war is a paradox, bringing interpretation and author writing together in one piece. Very nice.
ReplyDeleteI think you did a great job of capturing O'Brien's messages about war. I love the phrases you chose to use.This poem really gets at the complexity of war. Nice work!
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