Tuesday, February 17, 2015

"The War That I'm Waging" - A Villanelle

I was tasked to write a Villanelle for creative writing class.  Through the years I have met a lot of Vietnam vets who  returned damaged.  I decided to write this poem as  a tribute to those soldiers.  Though I tell the story here of a Vietnam vet, the wars are interchangeable.  The one constant is the warrior.    .  



The War That I'm Waging

When I close my eyes I can still see
Can't shake the memories that my mind embraces
The war that I'm waging is inside of me

Sleepless nights, husband, father,  in absentee
Unable to forget unforgettable places
When I close my eyes I can still see

Two tours of changing good men to debris
Through the crosshairs, exploding yellow faces
The war that I'm waging is inside of me

Mekong flowed red to the North China Sea
Filigrees of horrors that no time erases
When I close my eyes I can still see

A long ago war that  I can never break  free
Jack Daniels and VA meds temporarily displaces
The war that I'm waging is inside of me

The hell that I'm living forever will be 
No Lord's Prayer can earn me God's graces
 When I close my eyes I can still see
The war that I'm waging is inside of me 

by Rick Wainright 



1 comment:

orionsbow said...

I know several Vietnam vets who live in my neighborhood, my brother was in country in 1967, 68 and 69. For the most part, the guys I know are proud of their service. You know I always acknowledge a vet, I take time to talk if I can. But my brother has never talked about his experience at all. I remember the letters my mom and dad received and the way my mom always cried when she read them. I can't imagine what they must have been through. Thank you for writing this.