War

[Delta40]

Miserable child of war
blasts across the landscape
in cinematic display
Her physical essence
chunk by bloody chunk
coats monsoon drenched
huts
while a tourist savours
the taste of
Banh Cam dumplings

[Dark Muse]

Wow I really like this, a lot of impact packed within this short poem, and some very powerful imagery.

[Delta40]

thank you. I find I am very economic when writing poetry for some reason

[qimissung]

Yes, this one goes many places in a moments time. Good one, Delta.

[Hawkman]

Must give us pause...

V. thought provoking D40 - This could be an indictment of battlefield tourism, though for some reason it makes me think most srongly of Cambodia, or just as equally, the delight of the cinema going audience in war films and the depictions of wanton death and destruction on the big (& small) screen.

Good one.

[hillwalker]

An incredibly powerful piece. I'm also put in mind of media coverage - see the world at its worst through the filtered eyes of the war correspondent, sanitised for family viewing.

Really well written.

[PrinceMyshkin]

Those "ban camh" dumplings really nail down the horror of the preceding. How much more effective that is than if you had merely named generic dumplings.

In that sense this is reminiscent of verse 2 of Hawkman's "Old Photo."

[Bar22do]

Sadly beautiful... for me, more than a media coverage, your as if banal juxtaposition denudes a reality so starkly... lovely poem - Bar

[Delta40]

thanks everyone. I think you're right about the specific dumpling Prince. I toyed with the line:

while a tourist quibbles over the price of sweet and sour