Colin Powell

Carrol Cox cbcox at ilstu.edu
Tue Dec 19 20:25:50 PST 2000


Max Sawicky wrote:


> And I
> wonder how service people would react.

Max, I presume you are familiar with at least some of the material put out by Vietnam Veterans against the War.

One of the founders of VVAW was the fine poet, W.D. Ehrhart. And he has edited an anthology of poetry of the Vietnam War (mostly by veterans of it), entitled Carrying the Darkness: The Poetry of the Vietnam War. You ought to look it up. Below is one.

Carrol

********

Rice Will Grow Again

by Frank A. Cross, Jr.

We were walking On the dikes Like damn fools -- Steppin over dud rounds.

*** Mitch was steppin light When he saw the farmer.

The farmer:

With black shirt

And shorts.

Up to his knees

In the muck

Rice shoots in one hand,

The other darting

Under the water

And into the muck

To plant new life.

Mitch saw the farmer's hand Going down again With another

Shoot

But the hand

Never came up

Again -- After Mitch Ripped the farmer up the middle With a burst of sixteen. We passed the farmer As we walked Along the dike, and I saw the rice shoots Still clutched in one hand. He bubbled strange words Through the blood In his mouth. Bong, the scout, Told us the farmer Said:

"Damn you

The rice will

Grow again!"

* * * Sometimes, On dark nights In Kansas, The farmer comes to

Mitch's bed: And plants rice shoots

all around.



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