Poem: “The Box” by Victor Caroli

The Vietnam War drafted many young men, including Victor Caroli.  While he did not end up in Vietnam, many of those he trained with in bootcamp did end up there. Many did not come back.  Many came back injured. As he contemplated this war during his time in the military, he created this poem so many decades ago. I had to opportunity to hear Victor recite it an an Open Mic event in Naples by the United Arts Council on August 4, 2018. The impact was so powerful that I asked him if I could share his poem. Here it is, with his generous permission.

The Box

~ by Victor Caroli

Once upon a time in the land of Hush-a Bye
In the wondrous days of yore,
They came upon a sort of box
Bound up with chains and locked with locks
And labeled KINDLY DO NOT TOUCH – IT’S WAR

A decree was issued round about
All with a flourish and a shout,
“Don’t fiddle with this deadly box
Or loose the chains or pick the locks,
And please don’t play around with War”.

Well, the children understood,
For children happen to be good.
They didn’t fiddle with the box
Or loose the chains or pick the locks
For children didn’t play about with War.

Mommies didn’t either,
Sisters, aunts nor grannies neither.
For they were quiet sweet and pretty
In those wondrous days of yore.
And very much the same as now
Were not the ones to blame somehow
For opening the deadly box of War.

But someone did.
Someone battered in the lid
And spilled the contents out across the floor.
A sort of bumpy, bouncy ball
Made up of guns and flags and tears
And all the horror
And all the death
That go along with War.

It jumped right up
And bounced right out
And then went bashing all about.
Bumping into everything in sight.
And what was sad and most unfair
Was that it really didn’t care
What it bumped.
Or who.

It bumped the children mainly
And I’ll tell you this quite plainly
That it bumped the children daily
More and more.
It leaves them sick and hurt and dying
For when it bumps, it’s very sore.

There is a way to stop the ball.
It isn’t very hard at all.
All it takes is wisdom and love,
And I’m absolutely sure
We can put the ball back in its box
And link the chains and lock the locks
In spite of all the wisdom wizzed
In the wondrous days of yore;
And the time they came across the box
Bound up with chains and locked with locks
And labeled, KINDLY DO NOT TOUCH – IT’S WAR.

 

Victor Caroli
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