Mekong Monk, portrait of Cao Dai monk at the Ngoc Son
Quang temple in the Mekong Delta, August 30, 2008,
photos © 2008 by ybonesy. All rights reserved.
It is only fitting that I find peace inside a temple on a canal in the Mekong Delta. We’ve gone there on a small canoe while our boat travels further up the river to pick us up later.
An old man dressed in white cotton shift and pants comes out to greet us. He talks to me as if I understand everything he says. He points to a bright blue spiral staircase opposite the temple. I nod and bow slightly, but before I head up the stairs I point to my camera and then to him to ask if I can take his picture.
Yes, yes, he nods enthusiastically. He stands very still and very erect. I snap a shot then turn the viewfinder so he can see himself. He breaks into laughter—he has exactly three teeth—and he points to the camera, looking around to find someone to show.
I noticed as we floated along the Mekong Delta, the children ran to edge of the bank and yelled, “Halo, halo!” They waved, and when I waved back they laughed and did it again. Some of the men and women would nod to acknowledge my nod to them. A sort of “Hello.” We passed so close that I could see their faces, the checked shirts and blue pants that hung from lines on the decks of their boats, their bare feet. I saw them washing or working or lying in hammocks.
But a few of the men we passed didn’t nod back. They kept their mouths shut in a tight line. One man took a stick and banged it on a steel barrel. Another man threw broken bits of brick onto the corrugated tin roof of his boathouse.
I wonder if these men assumed I was American or whether they dislike all foreigners. I don’t blame them in either case. This is the place where American soldiers came and fought, and before that there were others who laid claim to the country.
Tourism is a conquest of a different kind. I feel guilty floating by on a small yet clearly luxurious cruise boat.
The old monk at the Ngoc Son Quang temple points to the frogs jumping on the concrete floor three levels down. He talks excitedly, motioning with his arms. The guide says that when it rains the small channels will fill with water and the frogs will make baby fish. I smile and nod. “Frogs bring good luck,” I say, although no one translates my words.
We climb down the stairs and there on the ground level are a whole host of monks and nuns. The old man grabs me by the arm and leads me to a younger monk who has sad blue eyes and a beautiful face. Again much talking and pointing, and the guide tells me the old monk wants me to take a picture of him and the younger man together. “Yes,” I tell them.
The sun will soon set somewhere behind the clouds and the light is quickly draining from the day. I motion for the old man to move in closer to the younger one. He moves in a couple of inches. “More,” I say. Two more tiny steps. I snap the shot, turn the camera so they both can see themselves. “A-ha-ha-ha-ha!” The old monk laughs and laughs.
They take us inside and soon I am being asked to take a picture of this thing and that thing. They ask me if I like the color. They explain that the women pray on one side and the men on the other. They are generous and eager to share. A neighbor, who has specifically asked to have his picture taken with the Divine Eye tells the guide that he wishes to buy me a drink. We politely decline. We must return to our canoe; the cruise boat is waiting for us.
As the monks walk us to the gate they tell us that in November of every year there is a special ceremony to pray for peace throughout the world. Thousands of people come to the temple.
“Maybe I’ll come back then,” I say. I bow slightly to thank them. They nod to me, “Yes, yes.”
I was touched by the story of the monk who wanted to have his picture taken with the younger man. Will you send him a copy of the picture?
I am struck by how some Vietnamese people still like Americans despite what we did to them and their country. I don’t know how I would feel about going there. I feel uncomfortable walking onto a Native American reservation. Did those kinds of feelings every come up for you in Vietnam?
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yb, going to someplace sacred is always peaceful. That’s how I feel when I go to church to meditate and pray. I’m glad you found that solace there, if only temporary.
That would be a nice parting gift if you could somehow send those pictures to the monks. That would be lovely and heartfelt. It’s difficult for most Vietnamese living in rural areas or small villages to even have a camera to take photos of themselves or one another. Sometimes when my mother is telling stories about her childhood, I always ask her what she looked like, and she only has one photo of herself when she was about 5 or 6 years old and I can only imagine the rest. So, I would imagine how the monks would certainly be amused with such a thing like a camera!
Bob, I certainly feel the same way as you do when I go on a Native American reservation too. It’s like as if I shouldn’t be there in the first place!
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I’m so glad to hear you were welcomed and actually asked to photograph the people themselves. What a precious memory to store away. It can be extremely uncomfortable taking photos of strangers… but with the magic of digital, you can make a quick connection with anyone, regardless of language.
The man at the top has a wonderfully photographic face and he appears to be very happy to have made an American friend. You must be a charmer yb.
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ybonesy, wonderful experience. I’m so glad you were able to visit the monastery. The younger monk does have sad eyes. A very different face than the older monk. Living in different times.
The stark contrast between those who were not glad to see you, the tight lines of their faces, and those who were — it is good to notice. A writer and artist would notice those things. My uncle died in Vietnam in the 1960’s. I wrote a piece about it in April of last year — Kerouac Goes To War (LINK). It’s another life event that had a big impact on me. Later, as an adult, I did a rubbing of his name at the Vietnam Memorial.
And in the summer of 2007, when I went down to Georgia to begin work on my memoir, I called and connected with my Aunt; it had been something like 40 years since I had seen or talked to her. I asked her about my Uncle James. And she told me a spine-tingling story about how she knew he had died before they notified her because he came to her in spirit. It’s an amazing story. And makes me wonder if there are many restless spirits who dwell in places where we have been at war.
I’d like to know more about the ceremony for peace that happens in November. Maybe we can participate from here. Because now we are in another war, in another country. And as everyone is probably reading in national and international news, there were a few hundred anti-war protesters arrested yesterday outside of the Republican National Convention here in St. Paul, Minnesota.
There was also another peaceful protest yesterday (with many more people participating) where there were no arrests. There is a lot going on here.
You are probably nearly home now. Thinking of you today as we move quietly, and not so quietly, into September.
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ybonesy, one more thing I wanted to mention on this peaceful post. One of my favorite monks for peace is from Vietnam – Thich Nhat Hanh. I’ve got many of his books sitting on my shelves. Last year, I posted a link to a great interview with him and bell hooks. If people are interested they can find it here:
bell hooks & Thich Nhat Hanh – Building a Community of Love (LINK)
Also, one of our Guests, Beth Bro Howard has written about him in two of her pieces on red Ravine. You can read those posts at these links:
Wishing You A Peaceful Heart – An Open Letter To Cindy Sheehan by Beth Bro Howard (LINK)
The Unanswered Question by Beth Bro Howard (LINK)
There is some great reading at all of these links. I think the negative image other countries and cultures have of Americans will only change if we venture to take the risk to meet with people one-on-one, to show other sides, other faces of the culture here.
We are a country of many different cultures (and sub-cultures) all wanting to have our voices heard. Writers can make a difference.
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a~lotus, your suggestion has me thinking. Maybe I can send the photo via email to the company that owns the boat, and maybe they can get it to the guide and crew. The guide told me that was the first time they stopped at that temple, but perhaps she’ll stop again to deliver the photo. I will try to do this. I think the monk would be delighted to see a print copy.
As you can see, he is dignified. His skin is amazing.
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Heather, I have to be careful when I travel because I am so trusting and carry so little boundary around me — the exception being when I’m in an airport or on a plane — and so I am a magnet for people. The monks were very respectful, but the neighbor man had been drinking, we could smell it on him, and he took a shine to me. Our guide was firm with him, but yes, I tend to draw people toward me. I don’t say that in a la-di-da way; it’s simply my particular thing that I am always working on. How to balance my own openness such that what and who I draw is positive and not negative.
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QM, thanks for all those links. They are good and relevant background for this post.
I have about four or five cousins who served in Vietnam. One wrote while I was there, and I didn’t respond yet. I wasn’t sure how he would react to my being there. I’ll send him a note this week.
Interesting about your aunt’s vision of her son in spirit form. That must have been very sad for her to know in her heart that he had died.
Thich Nhat Hanh lives, I believe, in northern Vietnam. I would like to spend time in the north. I’m thinking that with each trip I take there, I’m going to try to take extra time to get to know the country. The work I’m doing — workforce development — is not something you can simply pop in and do without getting to know a great deal about a place and its people.
Speaking of, I had wanted to include several other links in this post, but with the internet firewall, I would have had to write a code for every single restricted site. Even Wikipedia I could not connect to. That’s why I made this post a vignette — it was too challenging to try to provide more context. Time, too, was a constraint for me.
Thanks again for the long comments and many links.
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Oh, gosh yes, Bob, those feelings came up in so many ways. The work I’m doing there is with Vietnamese nationals, and any time I work as an American with other countries, already I go in with an awareness of our “super-power” status. So already I am sensitive to the idea that we each bring something to bear; that I can *not* simply impose the approach “that worked in the U.S.”
Moreover, in the case of Vietnam, there is that added sensitivity. And it’s not just the war, for the war was preceded by years of “Manifest Destiny” rule, the notion that countries and peoples were another country’s to take. So many parts of the world fought colonization, and perhaps because of my own history within the U.S., I am ultra, even overly sensitive to that dynamic. And then on top of that, the dynamic of wealth and poverty.
It would be so much easier on my own psyche to not have that awareness. I guess that’s why I’ve always struggled with being a tourist.
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I’m amazed at your powers of observation, yb, and your ability to recall the thoughts going through your mind. You are honing the fine art of creative non-fiction. I enjoy how you present your observations, yet let the reader draw her own conclusions.
What a wonderful trip! The faces of the monks, wow.
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Thank you for reconnecting me with my memories of Viet Nam in particular the Ngoc Son Quang temple. Another point of connection with you. Beautifully written.
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Beautiful post, yb, both the photos and your simple tale of interacting with the people, both verbally and non-verbally. Much genuine communication happens without words.
Thanks, QM, for the links to the old posts. I am still a student of Thich Nhat Hanh’s (Thay pronounced “tie” is his familiar name, meaning teacher.) I am an aspirant to the Order of Interbeing, which is a group of lay teachers, who help build meditation and practice communities in Thay’s mindfulness tradition around the world.
Thich Nhat Hanh came to the U.S. during the Vietnam War to meet with dignitaries and politicians and to advocate for a peaceful solution to the war. He was exiled from his country at that time. Martin Luther King, Jr. nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize. He now lives in a monastery in Plum Village, France.
Just a few years ago, the Vietnamese government invited Thay back for a visit. Some people speculated that the government was trying to improve their image for favorable trade negotiations with the world. The government placed many restrictions on both who and how many people Thay could speak to and he negotiated with them for a long time to create a situation which would allow regular Vietnamese people a chance to hear him speak. He also insisted that his books be allowed to be published and distributed in Viet Nam (as they had been banned.) He worked very hard to create more freedom, but also not to threaten the government. It was a wonderful visit. I know Americans who travelled along and the Vietnamese were so surprised to see that there were western practitioners of a Vietnamese Buddhist teacher. Thay returned again and has been helping to support the re-growth of Buddhism in Viet Nam and to support his “root” or home, temple there. Photos of his visits can be viewed at http://www.plumvillage.org.
Even better, Thich Nhat Hanh will be returning to the US in 2009. He will be speaking and leading retreats across the country. Everyone is welcome and you should not miss the opportunity. You do not need to be a Buddhist to appreciate the quiet wisdom and commitment of this fine teacher. He is one of the great teachers of our time. He walks the talk. Thay is now over 80 and has never stopped working for peace… with a smile.
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Thanks, Christine. I found their faces also to be just amazing. I could have stayed for hours, but we were losing light. The guide started to make fun because everywhere we went I’d say, oooo, I could become a nun at this temple, or oooo, I could become a fruit vendor on the Mekong. A deep peacefulness there, for sure.
Deborah, did you also visit this same temple? I understand there is one with the same name in northern Vietnam. If you check back in, I’d love to hear more about your visit.
breathepeace, I had no idea that you were on this path. I knew you had attended talks of Thich Nhat Hahn, but I didn’t realize you were an aspirant. What a glorious thing. Thanks, too, for the background on where he is today. I wondered if he was still in northern Vietnam. It sounds as though the restrictions were too much, perhaps, although you don’t say so exactly. I sure hope New Mexico might be on that ’09 tour.
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breathepeace, you are welcome. We are happy to have had you as a Guest on red Ravine. I, too, am so happy you added the information on Thich Nhat Hahn — his journey back to Vietnam. And his coming to the U.S. in 2009. I remembered you said you were studying with him. You have planted a seed for me. And I want to follow up and see where he is touring next year.
There was a period when I could not get enough of his books. And I was reading everything I could get my hands on from him. I even wanted to go over to Plum Village someday. I haven’t made it yet. Have you been there?
What I like about his books are that they are simple and easy to enter. Nothing complicated. Basic human kindness and ways to keep peace – both internally and externally. He also has a kind face, much like the monk in yb’s photograph. I haven’t checked to see what his latest books are. But I will check out the website. Thanks again.
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QM, many of Thay’s books are written from compilations of his talks. He speaks and teaches in that same easy to understand way. If something is more complicated, he will draw on a white board to illustrate his point. Yes, he has a very kind face, sometimes impish. He smiles a lot and teaches it as a practice. I believe that he is the embodiment of peace on earth.
Pasted below is a tentative schedule for Thich Nhat Hanh’s 2009 tour: (sorry, but NM and MN are not on the list, but it’s an opportunity worth travel. I’ll attend in Estes Park, CO.)
Look for a tour web site and registration information in early 2009. In the meantime, mark your calendars (I’ve been told these dates are solid).
August 9, 2009
Day of Mindfulness
Blue Cliff Monastery
August 11-16, 2009
English Retreat
Blue Cliff Monastery
August 21-26, 2009
YMCA Retreat
Estes Park, Colorado
August 29, 2009
Public Talk
Buell Theater, Denver
September 6, 2009
Day of Mindfulness
Deer Park Monastery
September 8-13, 2009
English Retreat
Deer Park Monastery
September 19, 2009
Public Talk
Pasadena
September 20, 2009
Day of Mindfulness
Deer Park Monastery
September 23-27, 2009
Vietnamese Retreat
Deer Park Monastery
October 2-5, 2009
English Retreat
Blue Cliff Monastery
October 9
Public Talk
Beacon Theater, NYC
October 10
Day of Mindfulness
New York City
Please do not contact the monasteries at this time, but look for more information in early 2009.
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Smiling as a practice. What could be better. 8)
Thanks for all of this great information, breathepeace. So it looks like he will be in New York, Colorado, and California. Blue Cliff Monastery is in the Hudson Valley of New York. Deer Park Monastery is in Escondido, California. And then Denver and Estes Park, Colorado.
I’ll check these websites out further. And look at pricing, too. The mountains around the Deer Park Monastery look amazing. Denver is probably the closest to me. So you are going to the 6 day one in Estes Park then.
I’m just at the point where I am looking at going to a retreat next year. Not sure which one yet, but I’m starting to try to plan out my year. If you come back to this post, I have three questions. How crowded are these retreats? How much time is spent in silence (I am craving it)? And how strict are the sitting and meditation times in terms of form and length?
Thanks again, breathepeace.
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[…] to posts Peace On The Mekong and A Picture’s Worth A Thousand Words. Or Is […]
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Hi QM, sorry to be so late in returning with answers to your questions, below:
1.) How crowded are these retreats?
I can only speak to the one in Estes Park, which hosts about 800 participants, plus the monastics … seems like close to 1,000 people. However, it doesn’t feel “crowded” at the YMCA of the Rockies, which is in a beautiful mountain setting, close to Rocky Mountain National Park. It is an amazing experience to practice mindfulness in a big group.
2.) How much time is spent in silence (I am craving it)?
All meals are in silence and silence is maintained from after the evening program until after breakfast the next day. Silence is encouraged, but it is not rigid. People who do not participate actively in the silence are very respectful of those who do. It is not strict (as in punitive,) but is a very supportive environment for maintaining silence.
3.) How strict are the sitting and meditation times in terms of form and length?
This tradition is not what I would call “strict” in general. It encourages you to practice mindfulness, but also to be gentle with yourself. There are many beginners at these retreats. People who bring cushions sit on the floor (closer to the stage.) Many people sit in chairs (provided) behind them. Whichever you choose, that is also where you sit to listen to the talks. The silent seated meditations are not usually longer than 20 – 30 minutes. Sometimes guided meditations are led. Walking meditation is practiced and encouraged for moving from place-to-place at the retreat. One evening there is usually a guided deep relaxation. There is also often singing, before sitting. Before registration, there may be a sample schedule posted on the website, which will give you better information.
Thich Nhat Hanh is a teacher who causes me to know that peace IS possible. It is a special and meaningful opportunity to practice on retreat with him and to hear his talks. I hope this helps to answer your questions, QM.
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breathepeace, thank you for the detail in your answer to those questions. I want to do a retreat next year but am still pondering how I want to structure my writing and meditation life. I was talking to Liz about this one yesterday. But there is a part of me that has been wanting to go somewhere closer to home, maybe the North Shore.
Sounds like a ton of people 800-1000 sat with you last year. Powerful intention. That’s what I like about Taos, the silence, and sitting with others in silence, holding the space. It’s so hard to describe to others how refreshing it is to not have to engage with people, to simply be. Thanks so much for the info.
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[…] Peace On The Mekong […]
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I’m making my way through a PBS documentary about Vietnam; I’ve watched four of eight installments. My comprehension of Vietnamese history and the War have gone from zero-60 in quick order.
I look at your photos of Vietnam with entirely different eyes, ybonesy. Now that I know exactly where Saigon and Hanoi are (and their significance), I want to know everything you’ve seen.
The segment I watched last night talked about the Buddhists at length. They used to pour gasoline on each other and light themselves on fire in protest. They showed footage of this happening–so shocking. I wonder what this monk would say about it now, 30+ years later.
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Teri, I felt the same way when I was doing the research for the maps piece that I posted while ybonesy was away (Love Of Maps — December In Vietnam — LINK). I learned a lot about Vietnamese culture and the cities she was visiting. One of the things I ran into was Thien Mu Pagoda right outside the city of Hue. It was built in 1601 between a river and a pine forest, and is one of the oldest religious buildings in the country.
The thing I learned that is connected to your comment on the monks protesting the war, is that Thien Mu Pagoda houses old artifacts at the complex and one of them is the car that took the monk Thich Quang Duc to his self-immolation in 1963 Saigon (there is a photograph of the car at one of the links in the map piece). His ritual of setting himself on fire may be one of the most published at the time, as I think he was the one that was photographed by a journalist and splashed all over Western papers. I suppose it could have been another monk, too. I’m not 100% sure. But I remember the photograph well and the impact it had on me, and also the time period of having the Vietnam War coming into our living rooms on the news every night.
I wonder, too, what this monk would have to say about it now, all these years later. I’ve seen documentaries on U.S. soldiers that go back to Vietnam as a form of bringing peace to their pasts. Many of them meet Vietnamese people who were soldiers at the time, some helping out the U.S., some who they were fighting against. Very powerful to see these people on different sides make peace with each other all these years later. It gives me hope for a better world.
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Have you heard of the book At Hell’s Gate? I had to read it for a Natalie Goldberg workshop. The author was an American soldier who enlisted in the Vietnam War at 19, and after a year+ of killing many, many people, he came back to the US an emotional trainwreck. He eventually became a monk, but the book is about his healing process, part of which was to go back to Vietnam to sow seeds of peace. It’s a good book, not very long, and quite engaging.
I *can’t imagine* the impact the photos/footage of self-immolation had on American society in the 60s. Even now, when I feel like there isn’t anything we haven’t been subjected to visually, I was totally blown out by it. I noticed that none of the monks screamed or made any effort to escape the flames. They held a position of meditation.
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Teri, I’d love to see that documentary. Did you get it at your library? I wonder if our library has it.
I wish I could speak with some authority about Vietnam, but really all I know is a bit about the history of Chinese (Indochina) and French imperialism, and of course, the US invasion and war.
I can tell you that I sensed a much great nationalistic pride in Hanoi than in HCMC. Of course, that’s not surprising. I also really loved Hanoi.
There was a moment during this past trip when one of the faculty members who was with us looked out at an audience of students in HCMC and said something like, These are the children who survived the war. Meaning, their parents survived and, thus, the children survived. I felt like my heart stopped, just for a moment, when he said it.
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So, does anyone call it Saigon, or is it only Ho Chi Minh City?
The documentary is part of “The American Experience” series. The Minneapolis library has 86 episodes–everything from the Carter Family Singers to Richard Nixon to Annie Oakley. Most of them are one disc long, the Vietnam one is four. I am absolutely glued to the screen while I’m watching, and I haven’t been to Vietnam. For you, ybonesy, I can’t even imagine.
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Yes, both. They’re interchangable. Many signs and names of businesses that still use Saigon. (Sheraton Saigon, for example.)
I think we’d all love to see that documentary in this household, after all my trips there. And more to come, hopefully. I do really love working there.
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Teri, I realized I never answered your question (on 12/15 3:12). No, I haven’t read At Hell’s Gate but it sounds compelling. That war had a big impact on many in the 1960’s, impressions that would last a lifetime. I always think of my Aunt Emmalyne and her son who lost his father (my Uncle James) before he even met him. I even talked to her about it a few years ago when I was in Georgia.
About the monks who protested with their lives, it’s hard to imagine that kind of self-sacrifice for peace. But that is how strongly they believed in what they were doing. I guess that’s really putting your ass on the line for what you believe in.
Then you have monks like Thich Nhat Hanh who breathepeace talks about above who left Vietnam and spread the message of peace in that way (and he’s still going strong). It reminds me that we all have our ways of communication and making a mark in the world. Everything trickles up and down.
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I’m preparing for our next Poetry & Meditation group, and came across this poem that reminded me of the comments on this post–the monks and self-immolation. Yusef Komunyakaa writes extensively about his tour in Vietnam.
***********
2527th Birthday of the Buddha by Yusef Komunyakaa
When the motorcade rolled to a halt, Quang Duc
climbed out & sat down in the street.
He crossed his legs,
& the other monks & nuns grew around him like petals.
He challenged the morning sun,
debating with the air
he leaped through–visions brought down to earth.
Could his eyes burn the devil out of men?
A breath of peppermint oil
soothed someone’s cry. Beyond terror made flesh–
he burned like a bundle of black joss sticks.
A high wind that started in California
fanned flames, turned each blue page,
leaving only his heart intact.
Waves of saffron robes bowed to the gasoline can.
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Teri, the poem by Yusef Komunyakaa is intense and powerful. And it’s the same monk from the comment above (December 15, 2008 at 2:27 pm) about how Thien Mu Pagoda houses old artifacts at the complex and one of them is the car that took the monk Thich Quang Duc to his self-immolation in 1963 Saigon. The poem you left in your last coment captures the terror and power of that moment in time. Hard to imagine.
I take it you completed the American Experience Series about Vietnam you took out from the library. Did it inspire you to choose this particular poet? Or what made you choose Yusef for the next Poetry Group?
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QM,
I actually had to stop watching the American Experience DVD set about Vietnam…it just became too much. I will return to it again someday.
When I was doing the research for Walt Whitman, I found a DVD at the library that had several poets reading Leaves of Grass. Yusef was one of them, and I fell in love with his voice. That’s the way I discovered him, and later found out he has won the Pulitzer.
He’s also from the Deep South (Louisiana), and that appealed to me. Taking our group on a trip to the Bayou.
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Ah, following a poet by voice. Makes total sense. I love to hear poets read their work. It adds a lot to the Poetry Group that we get to listen to their voices as well as read their work. Have you read Leaves of Grass? I bought a used copy a few years ago and started to read it but didn’t get very far. Something about the cadence or language; I couldn’t find a way to enter the book at that time. Maybe another. It’s got to be one of the most famous books out there.
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Yes, I’ve read Leaves of Grass, but not the first try. After I listened to a sound recording of someone reading excerpts, I got a feel for it. Also, reading about Whitman’s writing of it (and all the revisions), I was more familiar with the point of the work and how it was put together. I still haven’t read Allen Gingsberg’s Howl. I think I need to listen to someone read it to me first.
We’ll be hearing Yusef read his most famous poem at the next Poetry & Meditation. The only clue I’ll give you is that it isn’t the one on the former comment. 🙂
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Oh, good. I’m glad to hear I’m not the only one for whom it might take more than one time to find an entry point to Leaves of Grass. I do remember reading a little about his revision process with it. I wonder if it might help me, too, to read a little about the history of the book and then try to dive in again. It took me a long time to read Kerouac’s On The Road, too. But finally did! Howl is a tough one, too. Long, long, long and many references to the craziness of the time in which it was written. I remember checking Howl out from the library. If I remember right, the book talked about his process of writing it and had photos of all the cross-outs, etc. Classics are sometimes simply hard to read. I have to make myself stick with it.
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[…] April 16th our Poetry & Meditation Group will be reading the poems of Yusef Komunyakaa. Maybe you’ll want to start your own poetry group. Or purchase “Ballistics,” the […]
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[…] Nor did she have the same sense of adventure that prompted our last tour guide to stop in at a Cao Dai temple while making our way back to the boat from the […]
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