 ©Amber Fleek, graphic Karen at Karen Edmisten* is hosting all the Poetry Friday goodness today. She doesn't want us to overthink and just enjoy all the poetry while offering up some Ella Fitzgerald. Last week, Mary Lee at Another Year of Reading offered her response to Lind Mitchell's Prose and Poetry challenge for the month: Write a prose piece–find a poem in it.Or, write a poem, expand it into a prose piece. Or, find a prose piece, transform it into a poem. Or, find a poem and transpose it into a prose piece. Any interpretation of this prompt is perfect. Mary Lee's reminded me of writing a haibun. I've been writing some of late and rather like the format. I also have been working on poems for a potential chapbook/memoir(?) of my life, especially around my first marriage. Tomorrow is Veteran's Day. My former husband (who died due to Agent Orange complications in 2017) flew helicopter in Vietnam. Thanks to a recent class with Joan Kwon Glass, and a particular poetry prompt, I've been doing a deep research dive on his experience there (which I didn't really spend a lot of time discussing with him and the more I learn, the more I am horrified at what I didn't know or understand). Today's sharing is a VERY rough first draft with the Prose and Poetry challenge. And honestly, I would love feedback as to what is sings or might be confusing. I keep think of what I was doing in 1970 compared to what my former husband was doing in 1970.  Flowers left in honor of Veteran's Day 2023 In That Time
I was reading In That Time: Michael O’Donnell and the Tragic Era of Vietnam by Daniel H. Weiss. O’Donnell was a helicopter pilot between 1969-1971. Roughly the same time period that my former husband served. Also a helicopter pilot. My heart stopped when I read Pleiku, Vietnam and the 170th Assault Helicopter Company. I hadn’t thought about Pleiku or the 170th in over thirty years. My former husband flew there during 1970-1970. Did the two cross paths? It was never something we discussed. Now reading about O’Donnell, it’s peering into a window of what my former husband lived through. Unlike O’Donnell, he returned after his duty was served, Spring, 1970 Men flying helicopters Cambodia and Laos HS senior choosing a college dorm room Simi Valley, CA Men flying helicopters Cambodia and Laos HS senior planning “ditch day” Simi Valley, CA Men flying helicopters Cambodia and Laos HS senior attend prom Simi Valley, CA Men flying helicopters Cambodia and Laos HS senior graduates, parties at Disneyland Some pilots never return, others carry the weight © jone rush macculloch 11/10/2023 08:53:49 pm
Jone, wow! This is an intriguing idea! I am sending you an email with more detailed thoughts. 11/11/2023 06:21:38 am
Wow, Jone - on so many levels. Thank you for sharing this on Veteran's Day weekend. You've definitely got something compelling here. The last line is especially strong. Since you asked, I would be interested in a few more sensory details woven into both experiences portrayed in the poem. xo
Jone
11/12/2023 06:46:27 am
Robyn, 11/11/2023 07:22:58 am
My experience with family members who served all over the world in WWII was that they rarely told any details. I wonder if your former husband felt that way, too? I am a bit confused about the hs references. Was that what you were doing while he went to Vietnam? The contrast, however who, is striking & poignant. Best wishes in this, what must be hard, journey, Jone.
Jone
11/12/2023 06:47:45 am
Good questions, Linda. It certainly was a rough time in history. 11/11/2023 12:24:01 pm
Thank goodness we have poetry to help us make meaning from our histories. Thank you, Jone.
Tabatha
11/11/2023 02:56:35 pm
It's such a stark difference, isn't it? What you were doing vs what he was doing. I think that is one of the reasons that veterans have a hard time. They don't know how to put aside their experiences or how to explain them to people whose lives have been so different. 11/12/2023 04:43:08 am
You have a lot to process all at once here--new knowledge of his experience, taking some new views of your choices at the same time, seeing it all in a larger context because of the book. I think you could replace some of the repetition with more snippets of experience, maybe?
Jone
11/12/2023 06:49:29 am
Thanks, Heidi. I definitlely will be revising this. 11/12/2023 08:34:55 am
Jone, it's so much to process, isn't it? The contrast you draw is stark. I agree with Heidi that some more snippets of experience/sensory details could sharpen the contrast and draw us in even more. What a huge project to tackle!
Rose Cappelli
11/12/2023 01:12:06 pm
Thank you for sharing, Jone. I like the compare/contrast structure. I wonder of giving each experience a full stanza would allow more room for details. I think poetry is a good way to process what you are learning. 11/13/2023 04:34:07 am
Jone, your new writing project adding a historical presence into your poetry is a wonder-filled blend. I particularly like the look back contrast theme and I agree that sensory details would add a deeper look at the time period. From the WWII soldiers in my family, I learned very little about war time. Even the one Vietnam soldier I knew did not speak about that period. I look forward to more historical perspective poems in the future. Comments are closed.
|
AuthorAll photos and poems in these blog posts are copyrighted to Jone Rush MacCulloch 2006- Present. Please do not copy, reprint or reproduce without written permission from me. 
Categories
All
Archives
January 2025
|