Facing It

      War can be a very tramatic experience and many do not recover from the affects of war. Years later, after war is over, many veterans find that simple everyday task become it own battle. In this poem the speaker goes to the merorial of the Veitnam war in attempt to finally face his demons but this is a bigger challenge than even he could've imagined. It is even difficult for him to differentiate between what is real and what is not, the memories of war stare right back at him in the reflections of people and objects at the memrial. He himself is a mirroring image of war, decribing himself as "prey" and comparing himself to stone, a man hardened by war.

The Gift Li- Young Lee

          I love this poem because when people hear the word gift they usually think of something you get to unwrap for Christmas or a birthday surprise but those gifts usually get worn out eventually or put aside in the attic. Also when we think gift we may imagine a talent or skill or is use in the context that "this young boy is 'gifted". The 'gift that the speaker describes in this poem can be a combination of both, he could not physically hold this gift that he recieved from his father but it would always be with him and he could pass it on. This gift was also a good character trait to have in life. The "gift" that he recieved from his father and would later pass on to his wife was ability to show and express care and love, to be a ble to be gentle and soothing. These things are not what we usually would look for under a tree but in the same sense,we should be filled with joy and happiness when we do recieve them, they are very precious.