The After-Shocks

As I closed my eyes to sleep
I dreamt of that trench stinky and deep
That lovely place they called Da Nang
That I now recall with a terrible pang
The war had to be fought they said
I signed the slip and sped
As I lay bleeding in that hole
Men beside me broken and never would be whole
Mortars hitting hard with a thud
Blood mingled with sweat and mud
They walked with my half dead body
Amid corpses and earth all bloody
Booby traps were set everywhere
Marching forward for a destination unaware
The screams of friends who lay dying alone
Still echoed in my heart where it is sown
And now that the war was over
Why does every sound make me duck under cover?

By- Tahera Mannan
For Miranda’s ‘WORLD OF WAR: VIETNAM’ Contest
Copyright © | Year Posted 2011

Poem

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Parker Avatar
April 13, 2011 at 7:13 AM
Nice job describing the physiological and psychological effects of war. You aptly illustrated the compoundin anxiety felt by the soldiers who were on an undefined mission fighting an amorphous foe. A nice rhyme scheme enshrouding a substantive core.
Sweetheart Avatar
April 13, 2011 at 5:40 AM
Awesome write Tahera my dear friend.. on the conflict of war and the horror of the destruction .. your rhyme is super as Miranda requested.. great presentation in fine imagery and detail ..good luck luv..
Dietrich Avatar
April 12, 2011 at 11:45 PM
gosh, tahera, what an incredible job you did for this contest. This is one I will not enter, I am pretty sure. I commend you for this!!
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