The Vision

The Vision
1969

This poem was written in 1969 when America was embroiled in what was called The Vietnam Conflict. But it was really a War that sharply divided our nation and sucked hundreds of thousands of young men into battle and killing thousands.


I sat upon a lofty knoll one day,
And looked into the valley below,
I wondered what the people would do,
And what places they would go.
Then as if in answer to my quest,
They left their home that day,
Mother and father came out to work,
While children came out to play.

Father climbed on his tractor,
He drove into the fields to work,
Mother took care of her flowers,
Digging and planting in the dirt.
The children were running to and fro,
Playing games that children like,
Sister was playing with her dolls,
And Junior was riding his bike.

Then I heard a terrible scream,
It was a piercing sound,
It sounded like rolling thunder,
That shattered and shook the ground.
My mind raced through its corridors,
And charged on through its thoughts,
I started to move to save the house,
But knew it would be for naught.

A brilliant flash, a yellow ball,
Engulfed the house below,
The flames leaped higher still,
And the family moved too slow.
I blinked my eyes and blinked again,
And pouring over the hill,
Came troops of another nation,
To force on us their will.

I sat up with and rubbed my eyes,
I knew I had dreamed a dream,
For down in the valley below,
I saw a pleasant pastoral scene.
I wondered why I had seen this thing,
That had been so real to me,
I guess I saw what other do,
So far across the sea.

And now I wonder why we are there,
Over in some foreign land,
Losing men and losing wars,
And maiming both child and man.
We say we are fighting Communism,
And that we’re destined to win,
But I think what we’re really doing,
Is spending money and killing men.