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poem interpretation

from Lisa Wuyek (stardeath@cboss.com)
I have to interpret a poem called "Plum-Dark Humor" by Maurice Kilwein Guevara, and I would appreciate some suggestions as to how the symbolism and imagery used contribute to its overall meaning. Any help at all is greatly appreciated. Here is the poem:

David teaches history to children. Today he is showing them a film of the war in Vietnam. "America," he explains, "was defending the South," as he watches what he'd seen as a child from the living room floor. Some of the children have decided to put their heads down. And David doesn't feel well sitting in the small chair.

Two images are clearest in his mind: the naked girl on fire, running, and this man, hands bound behind him, being pushed, a small crowd nearby. Another person, khaki uniform, holding a gun, enters into view, waves the people back with his pistol, fires into the man's brain and, bent, the man falls sideways. Blood pumps and flows warmly from his temple, oozes, slows, forming a puddle on the dried-mud road. David feels dizzy, tries to turn the projector off, but instead switches the control to REVERSE.

And the dead man's mind draws the blood back in, and the corpse flies up, straightening out, and stands as instantly the wound heals; the murderer waves the crowd on, walking backwards out of the picture.

Some of the children are laughing.

(posted 8930 days ago)

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