Verdant Woods

[Deleted]

I wrote a lot of this VN era stuff several years prior to the beginning of my transition as I was working through some of my PTSD issues. It's all a part of the story of my former life so many years ago. I had posted this on the other site at one time, but since all of that is lost to us I'm reposting it here.

Verdant Woods

Jungles smelling of decay, sweating, suffocating heat,
Stinking fungus, rotting sox, wet and tired feet.
Dengue and malarial fever, liver flukes and leeches,
Those verdant woods a far cry from Vung Tau’s sandy beaches.
Scorpions, Cobras, great variety of very poisonous snakes,
Some strike to kill some cause blindness like the Banded Krait.
Food’s sweet residue on our breath, lips gnawed by rats,
Stealthy nighttime creatures, rodents large as cats.
Mosquitoes in the millions buzzing noisily around our heads,
Wondering if morning will find us all alive or dead.
Watching intently in the darkness for VC and NVA,
Praying earnestly to God to see the light of day.
Stench of blood and rotting corpses lay all round about,
Nostrils recoil while maggots roil the course of war in doubt.
Demonstrations in the streets, flags burning way back there,
There is nothing in the records saying war is ever fair.

[Ayla]

Shan

I am not not sure that I could have dealt with this. Your poem took me to a place that I am glad that I have never been sent.

Do you ever get over this sort of experience, or do you just learn to better deal with it, aka 'survive'?

Safe travels

Aisla

[Deleted]

Thank you for serving hon.

[Deleted]

Jan 9, 2015 4:27:00 GMT 8 Ayla said:

Shan

I am not not sure that I could have dealt with this. Your poem took me to a place that I am glad that I have never been sent.

Do you ever get over this sort of experience, or do you just learn to better deal with it, aka 'survive'?

Safe travels

Aisla

All just so much water under the bridge, it was another lifetime!

[Laura J]

Wow, it's so descriptive Shan, such a visual picture it forms..

Just excellent.. !

Also thank you for serving and protecting us..!

[Deleted]

Jan 9, 2015 7:47:56 GMT 8 Laura J said:

Wow, it's so descriptive Shan, such a visual picture it forms..

Just excellent.. !

Also thank you for serving and protecting us..!

???? I don't know how it protects us in a stupid proxy war really! Honestly I could have cared less about America at the time, I was too busy just trying to keep the guy on the left and the right of me alive and to be honest for any combat vet, that's really all it's really about! Screw God bless America, mom and apple pie, it's absolutely meaningless in that kind of situation!

[JamieP]

Wow a new side of you to experience. After seeing Apocalypse Now I can almost visualize the scenes you have written about. Survival instinct.

[Taka]

my french language teacher in high school had served in vietnam. used to blame his craziness on having been hit by a bullet in the head. he really did have a scar on the side.

he was also lucky enough to get a signed pic of bush jr from his patriotic parents. they'd supported the guy, quite obviously. he hid it in the back of his closet, afraid to just throw it away in case they were to visit.

none of that had anything to do with french, but it some stories make school more interesting. particularly when the world goes to war for the sake of peace (and getting that oil while the europeans are still busy fighting about whether or not to join a long since lost cause).