North Carolina Poetry Society
 
Student Poem of the Month — May 2009
 

 
The Sounds of the Vietnam War   © by   Laura Edgerton Hulse


The blazing harmony of the guns loud and pointless
the screams of the terrified young men wishing to be home again...
all the sounds of the Vietnam War.

The "BOOM" of the bombs being dropped from the skies
the pilots scared to even wonder where they may land
the cries of the children lonely and scared...
all the sounds of the Vietnam War.

The clank of water bottles emptied hours before
the cry of a wounded soldier wondering, "God, why me?"...
all the sounds of the Vietnam War.

The rustle of the trees as the soldiers fight their way through
the whiz of the bullets as you feel them moving in the air...
all the sounds of the Vietnam War.

The crack the ground makes as the tanks roam over them
the crackle of a fire as the flames uproar...
all the sounds of the Vietnam War.

The high-pitched cry of a confused soldier as his gun accidentally
backfires the way the rain sounds as if afraid to fall...
all the sounds of the Vietnam War.

The squeak of a boot as a soldier runs away
the "oof" of two men as they hurriedly collide...
all the sounds of the Vietnam War.

The voice of a gun as its bullets release
the final breath of all the soldiers as pain slowly and awfully
takes their lives...
all the sounds of the Vietnam War.

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Previously published in the North Carolina Poetry Society's
Pinesong: Awards 2008. Used with permission of the Poet.
NOTICE: The copyright © for this poem belongs to the Poet.

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