{"id":4812,"date":"2016-08-18T20:40:37","date_gmt":"2016-08-19T03:40:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.christianethicstoday.com\/wp\/?p=4812"},"modified":"2022-02-12T14:25:18","modified_gmt":"2022-02-12T21:25:18","slug":"three-poems-40-years-after-the-end-of-the-war-in-vietnam","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/christianethicstoday.com\/wp\/three-poems-40-years-after-the-end-of-the-war-in-vietnam\/","title":{"rendered":"Three poems 40 years after the end of the War in Vietnam"},"content":{"rendered":"

Three poems 40 years after the end of the War in Vietnam <\/b>
\nBy J. Randall O’Brien     
\nFebruary 15,2015 <\/o_p><\/i><\/p>\n

Ode to Nam on the 40th Anniversary of its End<\/o_p><\/b><\/p>\n

he came home from nam
\nBut never made it back.
\nI saw him last just before
\nhe left for the war.<\/o_p><\/p>\n

We celebrated his return
\nhis presence being our only lack.
\ncheering glasses were raised
\nrepeatedly before<\/o_p><\/p>\n

We noticed his eyes and long hair were with us
\nBut not his mind.
\nafter the party he walked to the Vietnam memorial
\nand killed himself real fine. \u00a0<\/span><\/o_p><\/p>\n

On Coming Home From Nam <\/o_p><\/b><\/p>\n

she cried as he left, clinging to his saint Christopher
\nchaining around his neck, eyes kissing his as he pressed his face
\nagainst the bus window
\nFor one last embrace.
\nhe cried as he read her letter, clinging to his dreams
\ndying in the important war,
\neyes watering falling as he pressed his nose
\nagainst her perfumed envelope
\nFor one last taste.
\nshe cried when he came home, clinging to her prayers
\nthat the shrapnel had not been hers,
\neyes pleading as the soldiers pressed the flag
\nagainst the box and lowered it
\nto its resting place. \u00a0<\/span><\/o_p><\/p>\n

War! What is it Good For?<\/o_p><\/b><\/p>\n

Mother, mother, mother, he wailed and I cried too.
\nWhat child should lose his legs because
\npresidents blew their moral responsibility to solve
\nour differences?<\/o_p><\/p>\n

Father, father, father of our country, we cussed you.
\nWhat protector, moral, caring wouldn’t
\npeace pursue
\nregardless of his enemy’s
\ndeeds and inferences?<\/o_p><\/p>\n

Mother’s on her way, i screamed and crawled to
\nWhat brother i could
\nhold as he could cleave to
\nUntil our bookie presidents could come to their senses.<\/o_p><\/p>\n

soldier, son, daughter, what more could i do
\nWhat world so evil that i must
\nsacrifice you
\nof humankind suffer far worse
\nconsequences? \u00a0<\/span><\/o_p><\/p>\n

J. Randall O’Brien, president of Carson-Newman College in Tennessee following a distinguished career at Baylor University, is a highly respected pastor, scholar, and writer. He served in Vietnam in the 101st Airborne Division and received the Bronze Star and United <\/o_p><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Three poems 40 years after the end of the War in Vietnam By J. Randall O’Brien      February 15,2015 ...<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,132,148],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t