The Asians Dying

This poem spoke deeply to me. Although I am unsure of which war it was that is being spoken of, it reminded me of the Cambodian Genocide run by Pol Pot with the description of "rain falls into the open eyes of the dead", I have studied this Genocide and much of the photography from that era is extremely reminiscent of this particular line. Bodies of victims lay everywhere and so many villages were completely destroyed by the Pol Pot's regime. This poem captures the endless destruction brought on by war perfectly. It highlights the true pain that is felt by such massacre and the eternal effect which it has: "Pain the horizon/Remains/Overhead the seasons rock/ They are paper bells/Calling to nothing living". Events such as this are never forgotten and it takes years before rebuilding of a normal life can even begin. Despite each new day the pain still remains and with it comes the reminder that the world is completely altered and is a much darker and horrific place than once before. Two other lines which really stood out to me were "the dead go away like bruises/The blood vanishes into the poisoned farmland", I found this lines to be profound because they reflect the aftermath of war...the living must find their loved ones and their dead countrymen and bury them..a slow process quite like the disappearing of a bruise, and a dull pain emits after accepting the death of so many. The stolen lives of the victims have left their permanent mark on the land...their spilt blood has truly cursed and "poisoned" what was once prosperous country.