The Jalula Market
I found the incredible amount of tension very interesting, because it's really just hinted at. The main action is Hugh Martin and his fellow soldiers patrolling a market and really wanting some damn chicken. The poem describes the MRE rations in a negative light (Styrofoam in the mouth) to say the least (Cobra cooking) and the desire for basic chicken was overwhelming. Martin's friend goes to buy chicken with Iraqi Police, and Martin tells us he was sure something was going to go wrong. Markets are sadly a common place for suicide bombing attacks, which Martin alludes to, yet he is still incredible happy to wolf down some authentic chicken. It's a small moment that drives him and sticks out to him. Not a typical war story.
Responding to an Explosion in Qarah Tappah
This stuck out to me. Immediately, it does away with the tradition, or even traditionalish, format of a poem and just presents it as many stream of thought sentences. This breaks the flow of the collection of poems, and in my opinion causes you to concentrate more on what is being said. It describes a flow of sad events, involving a son of a militant accidentally blowing himself up, and how Martin's unit goes in afterwards to collect intelligence. Martin observes the effect this has on the community: how the neighbor of little girls could be building bombs, how the soldiers have to dig through it all, how much sadness and grief it causes.
"The Jalula Market" really captured my attention as soon as I read it. I kept expecting for something to happen, but it never does. Martin focuses on the chicken, with fear in his chest, but nothing goes wrong. I think it shows that not all places in Iraq were war torn every day of every month.
ReplyDeleteI especially liked "Responding to an Explosion in Qarah Tappah" as well. Martin encapsulates all the necessary details for a poem (imagery, setting, etc.), but it is presented in such a unique way. I think the breakdown of the formal structure of the poem (not giving it stanzas) really conveys the feeling Martin feels. It's a different experience; it sticks out to the person observing/reading it.