ensured

ensured

 

 

a number not a name

evades the draft in vain

Canada or Viet Nam

live expelled, 

or die included

 

as a name on a monument

not a number

 

 

 

erin-cilberto

4/7/24

Reviews

[In Em's Wonderland]

Such a powerful message you've conveyed here...war impacts us all, but it also hurts to see those loved ones return as someone you don't recognize & it's painful cause you can't figure out a way to help them cope. People shouldn't be considered just 'numbers', like also in the incarnation system---we deserve to acknowledge those who put themselves on the front lines and faced death & destruction.

[Vol]

Erin,
Such a succinct image of the entire American male (me in particular) of draft age guys between 1967 and 1969 when they instituted the lottery. We were constantly afraid they were coming for us. We were also constantly stoned... At least I was.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

yes, it was quite scary....we were in the tv lounge of the dorm...watching the lottery and getting our number...what a time that was...
j.

[Vol]

301...............

[jacob erin-cilberto]

I was 28...........

[Vol]

Oh, MAN! did you go?

[Chris Shaw]

Canadá or Vietnam. I guess if you stayed in the USA you were likely to be called up. If you went to Canada you were expelled from returning. If you stayed put, you risked a body bag. Heart breaking situation. The names on the monument are the ones sacrificed who gave all for love of their country. They are to be remembered and honoured. And the ones who didn’t die, are they forgotten? How are they treated? My understanding is they have found hell on earth. Well some of them, and the suicides. I pray to God I will never see my grandsons or nephews faced with this. It would finish me. Dear j, so much here to explore. Great brevity dear friend.

Chris

[jacob erin-cilberto]

yes, lots of suicides...war wounds that were mental and emotional...those were the worst for some.read moreyes, lots of suicides...war wounds that were mental and emotional...those were the worst for some.
j.

[Sami Khalil]

Sad but true; names become numbers as victims pile up and are added it.
A good message in this poem Jacob.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

a sad message...painful
thank you, Sami,
j.

[Sami Khalil]

Wow! You are welcome sir Jacob.

[Soren]

My family tree is full of military history from the Revolution, Civil War, WWI, WWII, Vietnam. As I first read this poem I thought of the number as my draft number during the Vietnam War. I would have gone but the number was too high, thank God, in that I did not believe in that war. I did not have the courage of a Mohamad Ali to stand up against the powers that be. How sad that in war we are reduced to numbers in unmarked graves that later are forgotten. My great grandfather fought in the Civil War under Stonewall Jackson and when it was all over and he was asked what he thought he said "It was all just a bunch of foolishness" Beautiful words Jacob

[jacob erin-cilberto]

I was number 28....almost went...student deferment and then 1A for awhile...YOur great grandfather fought under such a famous leader...Stonewall...Yes, foolishness...I get that.
Thank you for sharing, Soren,
j.

[Poetic Beauty]

Any soldier lost in battle is a name!! They are a person who gave the ultimate sacrifice for what they thought and believed in for others. They had lives, families, children, hopes and dreams. That’s just a few on a long list of what that person held as a human and not a number

[jacob erin-cilberto]

we felt like numbers then....in so many ways...
thank you, P.B.
j.

[Poetic Beauty]

You are welcome

[John the Baptist]

The younger readers here may not identify with this one, but I was there and know exactly what it means. When I put my name on a waiting list for a reserve unit early in '64, Viet Nam was still a small war. However, a month after I returned after my six months active duty, LBJ sent the Marines into Da Nang, and after that the conflict ballooned. By pure dumb luck, my name is not among the 58,000 on that monument in DC.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

Glad for that luck, John....that you are still with us and not a name on that monument.
j.