"Facing It" by Yusef Komunyakaa

This poem is a moving reflection of a veteran experiencing the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. He faces the memorial and has to hold back tears. It is evident that he is still deeply affected by the war. This memorial makes him remember. He relives the war with lines such as "I go down the 58,022 names,/half-expecting to find/my own in letters like smoke (lines 14-16)," "I see the booby trap's white flash (line 18)," "A white vet's image floats/closer to me, then his pale eyes/look through mine. I am a window./He's lost his right arm inside the stone, (lines 25-29) and taking note of an airplane (line 24). The Vietnam Veterans Memorial can stop anyone in their tracks—veteran or not. This is why war memorials are important. They are meant for the living to recognize and honor the sacrifice of the war's soldiers and bystanders.