Introduction: “I Listen” is a series of poems about “sleeplessness”. Lupe Mier wrote most of The 15 “I Listen” poems in 1969-70 on site “over there” (Vietnam). Each of the 15 poems begin with those two words. For “…sounds of war” I consider it as preamble for the set. But each piece can stand alone
I listen to the soft sounds of war 2011
There are times
I feel invisible
as an observer of events
participating only on the periphery.
But I am here
and I hear the noises of the night:
the weeping soldiers
the heavens crying softly
all those fast-moving overflowing streams
whether from monsoon
or from the eyes
of some lonely or frightened GIs…
I listen
to these soft sounds of war
smothering their dreams
Guadalupe J. Mier
“Not yet Free”
About the Author, Guadelupe (Lupe) Mier in his own words: I was drafted in 1968, and though trained as an Operating Room Tech, I served in Vietnam, Oct. 1969 – Sept. 1970 and was assigned basic Medic tasks: patrols, convoys, penicillin shots to naughty soldiers, etc. After Army, I returned to work as a librarian in Houston Tx and after various moves, ended up in Bellevue NE as director of their library. I retired after 25 years, in 2014 and now had time to participate in the Veteran Writers’ group that meets in Omaha, NE.
