Poetry Out Loud Poem Reflection

The poem I chose is “At the Vietnam Memorial” by George Bilgere. This poem conveys meaning and emotion without using challenging devices. One of the things that attracted me to the poem was its seemingly straight-forward nature, yet at the same time the poem encompasses a lot of emotion. The first two stanzas give no indication of being related to the title. The narrator describes a boy named Paul Castle, who in the students’ eyes is perfect. His name is printed in gold on the wall, which shows that he is revered and special. The narrator recalls watching Paul run, and even at his age, he would surpass all of the other runners.

            However, it is also implied that Paul is cocky, as he rarely talked to younger students or athletes who are not near his level. The narrator appears not to care, however, because he can tell that Paul is planning to do great things with his life. In the third stanza, the flashback ends and the narrator is reading his name once again. This time, he is reading Paul’s name on the Vietnam Memorial. He compares his shadow to the other students when in Paul’s presence, saying they drift obscurely without recognition. According to the narrator, once again he is left speechless while in Paul is memorialized.

            I like how this poem honors the soldiers that lost their lives in the Vietnam War, yet none of that is explicitly stated. The soldiers are described as being the ideal citizens, who all the other people look up to and strive to become. Even many years after school, the narrator can remember how Paul symbolized success.

            This poem reminded me of my grandma. He was in the Navy for many years, and he tells me stories of the friendship and respect between everyone. Whenever something went wrong, everyone was there for each other despite any possible feelings of hostility. Even though the narrator was not friends with Paul, he still mourns his death.