Black April Poem by Yen Cress
Black April
From inland mountains to the salt-soaked shore,
From China's border to the southern plains,
The earth lies drenched in sweat and bloody gore,
And tears keep falling like the summer rains.
Where is the peace we offered to restore?
What have we done, and who has paid the price?
Two million bodies live and breathe no more,
And corpses rot in graves near fields of rice.
A father weeps; his only son is dead.
Small children cry; their mothers cannot come.
A boy is blinded; old rags swathe his head.
Young widows beg the mercy of Quan Am.
The Viet Cong's unconquered force descends
And settles on fair Saigon like a pall.
Her doom is sealed; her hope of freedom ends.
In Vietnam, this spring is called The Fall.
It's time to go. We push the clamor back,
Ignoring shrieks from those we leave behind.
We slam the gates against their frenzed attack
And flee the press of desperate humankind.
We did our best; our best did not suffice.
We look around at all we've lost, once more.
We head for home and grimly sacrifice
Another country to the god of war.
(In Remembrance of 4/30/75)
Yen, writing about a war is generally fraught with pitfalls for even the most accomplished poet, yet you succeed by making an unbiased statement without attributing blame. It was not a glorious war nor were the deeds done stuff of legend - but be that as it may it affected an international generation of young men and women such that their lives would never be the same again. Regards, Ivan
So very true. War is Hell. When we fight we fight our own brothers and sisters. You rendered a beautiful poem full of emotion. Thanks for sharing.
My cap is off, my head is bowed. Not just for your message, but for your delivery of it. This is a great, great, piece of poetry. I love it. And you go on my list of greats here. I shall vote a ten and take this poem as a favorite. I shall also return. GW62.
You've captured the stark tragedy of it all in your heartrending poem. They say the pen is mightier than the sword. Words like yours shall endure as a memorial to the fallen!
a powerful indictment of the futility of war however good the intent.. I despair of ever seeing the world at peace. It seems that human nature cannot change.The urge to dominate prevails
A powerful inditement of the Vietnam war, poorly conceived and executed by US military leaders. The tone of this piece is perfect, the rhythm slow and foreboding. As usual, the poor soldier - (and the South Vietnamese) - paid dearly for incompetence at the top. Good work.
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
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4/24/2024 3:31:01 AM # 1.0.0.1119
Powerful work, Yen...Quite impressive, indeed...pristine structure, and effulgent imagework highlight this gem...Solid craftsmanship, Sir! ~ FjR ~