My son asked me to read a poem he wrote for his American Contemporary World class. The assignment was to write a “found poem,” which means each line of the poem is one he found somewhere in the various articles and documents they had read for the class. The subject is the Vietnam War. I was so impressed I told him I wanted to post it here for my Tuesday post so that I could link to it at dVerse Poets Pub for Open Link Night. I told him that by doing so, he would get great feedback from some other real poets, not just his mom. So dVerse poets, don’t make me a liar.
Here I am
by Benton Kruschke
Well here I am
Stalking through jungles
This country is so beautiful
I cannot express myself
No way I’ll forget this country
Here I am
A mother calmly rocks her child
There are a few kids who hang around
I hope that’s one reason why we’re here
To secure a future for them
Here I am
They all talk the same language
You couldn’t understand them
Why does Viet Nam remain silent?
Is to join hands for peace a crime?
Here I am
I lie here for seven straight days
You hear stuff nobody should ever hear
It’s practically impossible here
I feel helpless
Here I am
Today, thousands of eyes shine with hope
This country is so beautiful
So, here I am
I can’t wait to come home