World of War - Vietnam

WORLD OF WAR - VIETNAM Again and again I see it, I hear it - The shudder shudder of the blades Beating the hot sweaty air, Swooping low overhead. The shrill shriek as the engines Are pierced by sprays of AK bullets. The endless morass of elephant grass And swamps with no way out. Always three little guys just coming from nowhere, Just coming in tunnels and disappearing; Never a regiment dug in with concrete - Elusive is what the commander calls it. And the bags with tags going home Containing ‘some’ of our friends - Maybe an arm or a foot found afterwards When the mines were all cleared. And a wife who writes about her decision To divorce: gut-wrenching morale booster. The demos on our tvs every night - Who wants this fight is not very clear - And my brother on a destroyer in Tonkin By mistake shot down a US plane; And our mum asks him about socks and food; And is afraid when the mailman calls. When we come back to empty airports And empty hearts and see the neglect, The lack of sympathy and respect : Again and again I see it, I hear it In nightmares which never leave me - A swamp with no way out. ………………………………………………….. Written by Sydney Peck for Miranda Lambert’s Contest: WORLD OF WAR: VIETNAM