Evacuating a wounded comrade
Food for Thought: 3 a.m.
David Connelly
They moved in unison like dancers in a ballet,
the spider 20 inches from my rifle,
the Vietcong 20 feet farther out, in-line,
each slowly sliding a leg forward.
I let the man take one more step,
so as not to kill the bug.
Activity: “Food for Thought: 3 A.M.”
David Connolly is an American who served in Vietnam. His poem, though written about his facing an enemy Vietcong soldier, could actually be about a soldier in any country or during any war. It is about coming to a realization about how war changes your perspective, your feelings and for a very brief time, your heart. Connolly was 19 when he faced his enemy. Read through “Food for Thought” again and then answer the questions below.
Questions
- What was going through Connolly’s mind as he looked down his rifle?
- How would you describe the poet’s emotions at this moment in time?
- Why are these seconds in Connolly’s life so important?
- What is he saying about himself in this poem? What meaning is evidence of this by the title?
- How is it that this poem can tell you in just a few lines more about what is happening on the battlefield than a descriptive paragraph might convey?
