Facing It," by Yusef Komunyakaa

Facing It," by Yusef Komunyakaa talks about a war which most, if not all Americans are familiar with the Vietnam War. This poem was very well written, and I respect all that was said in the context of the poem. "Facing It," discusses his visit to the Vietnam Memorial in Washington D.C., and his emotions that he experienced while he was at the memorial. I can not imagine what the feelings would be like to see one of my friend's name etched in this wall of a fallen solider. "Facing It." Komunyakaa really shows me that he is emotional about the monument by his visions that he sees when he is at the wall. "My black face fades / hiding inside the black granite" (1-2). Here I believe he is realizing he could have been one of the solider in etched in this wall. I feel as if he may be remembering a point in time in Vietnam that he was involved in an incident that should have cost him his life. To him, he believe it should been him but he survive. His fading face makes me think that he realizes that there were no separate races in Vietnam War.

Also the part that said “I said I wouldn't, dammit: no tears" (3-4). It probably was hard to thousands of fallen Americans has lost their life fight this war he witness with his own eyes. I like this part of the poem when he said "I'm stone, I'm flesh" (5). He describes the stone on the wall to part of his blood. Basely he is referring them to be his brother. Yusef says that he the stone. I believe he is saying he has died in the war too. Maybe he did not die physically, but he lost a part of himself over there when he lost his brother and the image of that make him difficult to recover.

The part that made wonders was when I read the last three lines. "In the black mirror a woman's trying to erase names: No, she's brushing a boy's hair." (28-31) a woman is looking at the wall, brushing a boy's hair, when I feel that Yusef realizes that he is still in the wall. He is a part of the memorial now. He is part of the many names that are written on the wall. This poem has many different points a view that make part of the poem. I believe this is the strongest poem I read that actually makes you feel the character in the poem.