Love and Loss

Robert Lalani

Blog 9

　

　

Tim O’Brien stated in "How to Tell a True War Story" that a true war story is never really about war; rather it is about emotions like love, sorrow and regret. Brain and Komenyaka’s poetry reflects that same notion. "The desert wind blowing trash down the narrow alley as a voice sounds from the minaret, a soulful call reminding them how alone they are, how lost"(18 Turner). Both authors use their time at war as the subject of their poems yet their writing reflects ideals of love, loss, and morning. I think they are trying to communicate their experience of war however; they fall short in explaining just how they felt. When trying to describe an emotion like sadness or loneliness using words falls short. The audience is left with a brief glimpse of what it might be like to lose a friend in war. "I touch the name Andrew Johnson; I see the booby trap's white flash. Names shimmer on a woman's blouse but when she walks away the names stay on the wall." (Yusef Komenyaka). I think of author’s who go to war and write about their experience describe an element of loneliness that only veterans can understand. For most that go to the Vietnam Memorial they see names and are moved however, they are able to walk away and move on with their lives. For a veteran, their experiences are branded into them making it harder for them to shift back into society.