 |
Basic Training
by
Deone Wiley
copyright 06-21-2005
Age Rating: 18 +
I often wonder what it is
That turns a boy into a machine
To kill, to mutilate, to save souvenirs grotesque,
Proud possessions displayed
On desks, in bookcases, or, unseen, on hidden shelves.
Such are grim reminders of moments
When to be or not to be was so essential.
Humanity stripped to the animal.
Ponder it. Which is more elemental?
The carcass clumsily sprawled
On jungle beach, its rifle carefully caressed,
Or he who conceals on a closet shelf
Ears pickled in a bottle.
NOTE: When I was teaching GIs in Europe, one of my students bragged on his ears. He had spent three tours in Vietnam.
|
|
|
Comments on this Article/Poem:
Click on the commenter's name to see their Author's Page
05-07-2006
David Pekrul
Our side thinks we are so noble when we go to war, but are we any better than our enemy? This write makes one ponder.
|
07-05-2005
Deone Wiley
An interesting comment. I never thought of it, but my soldier student was a medic. We became close friends and he spent many a night on my couch having nightmares. A true casualty of war.
|
07-05-2005
Brian Dickenson
A true picture of what war can bring out in some people.
It can also bring out the complex nature of human kind.
The soldier who has just cut off the ear of his enemy for a souvenir. Can then attend to a wounded child, all in the space of minutes.
Removing body parts, and in some cases eating them, is probably as old as man himself.
Once we strip away the veneer of civilisation by giving permission to kill, in fact to give medals to the best of the killers. We unleash our primitive core.
The rifle replaces the sword. Adrenalin does the rest.
A picture well painted.
Brian
|
06-24-2005
Michelle Ackmann
Deone,
I agree with Debra. We are products of our own environment and often times we take on characteristics of the world to replace the true nature of ourselves. This is a great poem, very visual, but these are the best kind. It makes see the truths hidden between lines.
|
06-23-2005
Andrew Findlay
I really liked the message of this poem. Unfortunately, humanity is aggresive by nature, and society seems to encourage and even reward aggresive behavior. Why else would we buy toy guns for our children? We have made war into a game.
|
06-22-2005
James Shammas
Fantastic juxtapostion of images, with dark ambiguity. Of all things, it's the rifle that's carressed. The carcass on the beach is vivid, too. The last line says it all; it's so unforgettable and direct, it can stand alone.
Not a lost word, here.
Jim
|
|
|
