My Brother Joe

a Rondeau poem in memoriam

In Vietnam, so many died
in fight to stop the rising tide
of Communist dictator's sway.
Newscasts lauded the Green Beret
and their attempts to save our side.

My brother Joe signed up with pride
and finished boot camp in full stride.
He was ambushed, like jungle prey
in Vietnam.

When family was notified,
our shaken mother cried and cried.
With grief that words cannot convey,
we met his plane in Santa Fe,
as my brother finished final ride
from Vietnam.

Notes on the Rondeau form of poetry ▶︎

The Rondeau is a 15-line French form with a specific pattern of rhyme and repetition, as described and demonstrated in the following link: http://www.shadowpoetry.com/resources/wip/rondeau.html .