Like Emily Dickinson
tucking tight little poems
into the corners and crannies
of her father's home
I tuck their names
into the crevices
of my crenellated heart.
Lonnie from Tennessee
smiling A-K amp
"Don't mean nothin',
I got another one"
Danny from LA
unable to see
the last dawn we shared
Chief the Ute
willing himself to die
since he could not
will himself to live
a partial man
Pocho from Arizona
who wanted only that
the last words he heard
be in his mother tongue
words rightfully spoken
by his mother who,
absent, became me
Skeets from somewhere
who asked me to sing
Amazing Grace
because his mother did
The boy with no name
no voice
no face
All these and more
I tuck away
later to peruse
perhaps to edit
perhaps to erase
at some leisure time
at penance time
sometime in a future
that leaves them behind
Emily in white,
I in green,
we do our work
endure and abide
tucking away the hurt
saving it for the time
when alcoves need airing
when corners need cleaning
when hearts need healing
when there are no more
empty corners
convenient to fill.
1968
©1991 by Dusty
First appeared in Visions of War, Dreams of Peace, Warner Books, 1991.
Ed. Lynda Van Devanter and Joan Furey.
Return to Dusty's Poetry Index.
Return to Dusty's Home Page
My Vietnam Related Websites:
Women in
Vietnam ~ Not only nurses served . . .
Dusty's Home
Page ~ Poetry and prose by a woman who was a nurse in Vietnam
Emily's
Poetry ~ By a Red Cross Donut Dolly
Battle
Dressing ~ The Journey of a Nurse in Vietnam
Tim
O'Brien's Home Page ~ National Book Award Winner and Americal Vet
Shrapnel in
the Heart ~ The most moving book you will read on Vietnam
The
Irish on the Wall ~ An effort to locate the Irish who died in Vietnam
Project Hearts
and Minds ~ Help put Viet Nam back together
All About
Vietnam ~ An annotated bibliography of books about Vietnam for sale
thru Amazon Worldwide!
Photos
from a Holts' Military History Tour ~ My trip to Vietnam, February 1998
Illinois
Vietnam Women's Memorial ~ Honoring all the Illinois women who served
My Other Websites:
Chicago
Theatre Z - A ~ This is the best theater town in the country!
Writers
Theatre of Chicago ~ And this is the best theater in town
Literature
of the Korean War ~ Don't let the literature be forgotten
Poetry
of the First World War ~ Owen, Hardy and others
Samuel
Pepys ~ One of my favorite authors
Gil
Thorp ~ THE Coach
Maybe
Later . . . ~ My Creative Nonfiction
Chi-COW-go
~ Cowz plus Commentary (this used to be a cow town)
Graham
Fulton, Scottish Poet ~ Charles Manson Auditions for the Monkees
Soccer
Literature ~ I'm a fan and I read
O'Leary Lantern ~
Fire! Fire! Fire!
Other Important Websites:
PreviewPort.com
~ Connecting Authors and Writers Worldwide
Remember
Oklahoma City ~ Civil Service and Military Employees will never forget
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| Page last updated March 21, 2003 | |