Kevin Bowen was drafted into the army and served in Vietnam 1968-69. He is the Director of the William Joiner Center for the Study of War and Its Social Consequences at the University of Massachusetts—Boston. He has returned to Vietnam several times and his first book, Playing Basketball with the Viet Cong, was named “Pick of the Year” by The Progressive magazine.
Temple At Quan Loi, 1969
Questions for Reflection: “First Casualty” and “Temple at Quan Loi, 1969”
- If you’ve never seen a dead body how might you describe the feeling when you did? How do you think this image would return to you at other times?
- How does the poet go about his daily routine after seeing his dead comrade? Why do you think one of the other soldier’s voices, “don’t mean nothing?”
- How does the image of the warrior follow him? Describe the phrase, “a surplice trailing the jungle floor.” What may be the importance of the image to the warrior?
- In the poem “Temple at Quan Loi, 1969,” what might the warrior and the woman have in common? How does the woman’s presence almost act as a weapon to the soldiers who see her?
- How do Bowen’s words make you feel as if you were witnessing the scene? What emotion does the poem convey?