PREFACE
I have chosen to use the strategy of pastiche in my version of Reed’s Poem. I have done this to honor both the poem itself, but also its subject matter. My way of going about this has been to retain much of the structure and “feel” of the original poem, while at the same time updating parts of its contents. I have, however, also made changes to the poem’s orthography, as well as changed words and sentence structures, in order to gain coherency.
AWARENESS
Today we have EOD awareness. Yesterday,
We had daily cleaning. And tomorrow morning,
We will have counter-intelligence. But today,
Today we have EOD awareness. Snow is falling on spruce trees,
Covering the landscape in winter-wonder,
And today we have EOD awareness.
This is a picture of an uncovered device – you will note its size. And this
Is a picture of the kind of damage a device like this can cause,
So when you are out there, be aware. And this is the A54 metal detector,
Which in your case you have not got. The branches
Are covered in virginal snow, evoking the promise of innocence,
Which in our case we have not got.
This is how you use the A54,
With an easy flick of the thumb you turn it on. And please do not let me
See anyone using their finger. You can do it quite easily
If you have any strength in your thumb. The snow-covered brushes
Are fragile and motionless, never letting anyone see
Any of them using their finger.
And this is The International MaxxPro MRAP with V-Hull. We use this vehicle for
Rapid deployment through known EOD territory. The purpose of this vehicle
Is to protect you if you are hit by an EOD.
We call being mounted inside this beast: to be tugged in.
The snow is falling light and pure outside the window, as the Father puts his children to bed:
They call it to be tugged in.
They call it EOD awareness: it is perfectly easy,
It is unlikely that you will ever be caught off-guard and become a casualty of war,
If you focus and show some initiative and use the tools at your disposal,
Which in our case we have not got; and snow is still falling,
Silent in the night, as the Mother kisses the foreheads of her children,
For today we have EOD awareness.
Yes, this is more of a very gentle update of terminology (I take it these are authentic current terms), whereas the tone of the poem and its use of contrast effects have remained virtually 'untouched'. I'd therefore call it an homage to Reed('s poem).
ReplyDeleteYes, the terms are authentic.
ReplyDeleteExcellent homage to Reed by updating the vocabulary to fit modern warfare while still maintaining the contradictions of the original text. Spruce trees/EOD awareness, virginal snow, etc.
ReplyDelete