At the rising of the Central American sun
death on the west wind rides;
Rebels run from incoming guns
but they have nowhere to hide.
Helicopter sunrise; hell on the horizon.
The ditches dug beneath the acacia trees
provide little cover from the bright flashes,
and exploding earth beneath the running feet
of screaming women and scared children,
in the early morning minutes of a helicopter sunrise.
Luck is the true determinant; the crow of the rooster
the defining moment at the dawn of a rebel’s day.
To eat, to endure, to fight;
To plot and plan for the coming night,
which precedes the next helicopter sunrise.
At the setting of the Central American sun,
rebel hopes hang by a thread;
Many weep and escape to sleep,
while others vow to avenge the dead.
Helicopter sunrise; hell on the horizon.
Please feel free to comment..and to read my other work
Comments
1 - 16 of 16
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What a hell of a way to live! Never ending fear of life or death. Thank you for sharing this write with us! ~Sie
. Rewarded 4
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WOW!
Awesome! The imagery is...phenomenal! Very good. And it wasn't a long, dragged on, boring write. You did an amazing job! I love it. It's fabulous. Keep it up! Hope to read more amazing writes by you!
The One and Only...
~Lynn Jones
. Rewarded 4
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OH YEAH!
Such deep thoughts you provide here in this brilliantly penned write. Your imagery is perfect. I feel as if I am right there. I give you an A+ FOR SURE!!!!!!
POETDONTKNOWIT
WRITING IT HER WAY -
Well Done
A very good write it shows the rebellion and struggle
of the ordinary people of south america against dictatorships imposed from abroad by superpowers
good on you .well written by a good poet.JUDMC (george)U.K.Try my"Katrina" and"Blair".Poems on for size.Happy writing! -
well Imaged
NO OTHER IMAGERY CAN PICTURE WAR SOUNDS AND SIGHT AS MUCH AS I HAD READ IN POETRY THAN YOUR WELL HEWN HELI... SUNRISE. THANKS PAL KEEP PENNING.
. Rewarded 4
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Oh my. This is quite some poem that you have going on here.
It is filled with some of the many ugly realities of war and the true price that is paid. It sounds a lot like the descriptions of the Vietnam War but I guess it could apply to just about any war, couldn't it? I thought you did a good job of describing here in this poem. 
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A replay of Nicaraugua and the many central american nations suffering under the yoke of tyranny. I read just today that the contra are reforming in Nicaraugua governed by the infamous Daniel Ortega. Will we never learn. Happy trails
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Fantastic...simply fantastic..loved this..you have a wonderful way with words...such vivid imagery..makes it so easy to imagine the rebels fear, at the sound of the approaching chopper...the fear coursing their veins as the bullets fly...feet pounding the ground trying to hide...wonderful piece...
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If more tales were told, and the voices were as descriptive and honest- and the power of the message got through... we'd probably still have a messy world, but at least we'd be a bit more enlightened. The reality of this shines through it, and the repeated lines lend it power. I like this kind of poetry, because it does transport a person to another place and forces us see things we don't necessarily want to look at. The human condition is something we don't want to think about-and it's easy not to in our well-padded-Modern-Western-lives. Turn on the tele- zone out and not think about places like the Congo, Rawanda, Central America... or a hundred others.
This is poignant and well written- lovely in it's desperation and fading hope...
Good stuff, Matt.
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Excellent Writing
This is depressing, but it should be, is meant to be looks like. It is a vivid description of insurgency life (I would expect). I thought you are a much younger man than to have been into anything like this (as another Comment here suggests). I picture you as a high school senior or something. I notice girls are all over you (ones who appear to know you personally). This led me to Michelle Leigh whose poetry is as good as yours. Whoopee!
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Good
This is written by the hand of a man who has felt love, fear, exultation, grief, guilt, pain and dismay sift through his hands like the sands of time. The deep pool of emotion poured forth in this work almost drowns the reader in self contemplation feeling each emotion so skillfully enlisted by the author.
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You put me into central America and made me feel the violence and the sadness and all of the fear that encompasses living in a warzone. It's a fine write and one worthy of my applause Love, C
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I must say you write very well..Im left with thoughts of what man must face in that very moment when dawn first breaks..
Asdzaa Nadleehe
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