A Vietnam Sonnet
What would you do to live
tonight? Surrounded by enemy
kids, would you shoot
anything that’s yellow?
And when the enemy kids try
to overrun you, would you
have the guts to rain-down
napalm like the monsoon?
And when you go home and go
to work, your medals yellowing
in the drawer, would you tell
your boss that beyond death
beyond even pain there was a night
you turned a kid’s face into fire?