John Moller

John Moller entered the New Zealand army at 16 and remained in service for a total of 17 years. He served in Vietnam as a platoon commander with Whiskey 2 Company based at Nui Dat in the Phuoc Tuy Province. Moller is a leading advocate for veteran rights in New Zealand and has been president of the country’s Vietnam Veterans Association. His poetry is widely published in anthologies and in books about Vietnam.

 
“The Punji Pit” *

Nasty little bastards
and that is a fact
lying there concealed
on the jungle tracks.

Needle sharp bamboo
waiting in the pits,
all carefully angled
and covered with your shit.

Barbarous little bastards
patiently waiting there
no milk of human kindness
in that savage snare.

* The punji pit, originally the design of an animal trap, was adapted by the Viet Cong to capture enemy soldiers. A pit was constructed, camouflaged, and placed throughout jungle paths. Hard bamboo spikes were positioned to pierce the boot of a soldier. Quite often, the spikes were placed at an angle which made it difficult to remove them from the victim, and smeared with animal or human excrement. This meant that in addition to a puncture wound, soldiers would contract septicaemia from the feces. Septicaemia attacks the bloodstream and is accompanied with fever, chills and secondary abscesses in various organs.

Questions for Reflection: “Punji Pit”

  1. Who are the “bastards” that Moller refers to in the poem? Why does he call them that?
  2. Moller seems to imply that the “Punjit Pit” is an inhumane weapon of war. How might this device be different than other weapons of war? Moller claims that this enemy has “no milk of human kindness.” What would kindness look like between enemies in a time of war? How is kindness possible? What are the alternatives to weapons in a war?
  3. What feelings do you believe the poet has for his enemy? What feelings are you left with after hearing and reflecting on the poem? 
 
 
Only Nineteen

Just nineteen years old
some of those blokes,
when you think it through
it's a bit of a joke,
not old enough to be in a pub
but old enough to spill their blood.

Just nineteen years old
some of those kids,
when you think it through
they haven't yet lived.
Can they hope to ever dream
an old man's dreams,
in peace and quiet
by tranquil streams?

Not old enough to cast a vote
a bit of a joke,
to bitter-eyed blokes
just numbered pawns,
all carrying guns
in the Dat Do sun.

Just nineteen years old
some of those kids,
pale and drawn
beneath their tin lids,
flinching at the noise
the smoke and sound,
digging like hell
in the sun baked ground.

 

Questions for Reflection: “Only Nineteen” and “The Mango Swamp”

  1. What’s the irony in the poem “Only Nineteen?”
  2. What does the poem say about how society regards its youth? What is the poet saying about young warriors? About those who decide on war as an answer to conflict? Has this scenario changed in wars since Vietnam? How should it change?
  3. What emotions does “The Mango Swamp” bring to mind? 
  4. What images are the clearest from the poem? Which are the most threatening? Which are the most exhausting? 
  5. If in this situation, what would be the most upsetting thing for you to bear?