​​Linger 

The sun hurries over your face,
Your suitcase hunching by the door
The man on the radio said
Vietnam will be sunny
I cry, you wake
What’s running through your mind?
I love the time more than the change,
I love the tide more than the waves


by Contributing Poet  Laura Isabelle van der Hoeven   Copyright © 2024 
VWP 2024     First published in  VietnamWarPoetry.com 

​

Dog tag 

New York is lost on me but
I’ve got a dog tag from the U.S.
Right next to my other keys:
My mom’s house, my dad’s house, my own and 
my bike
Next to a red apple with a silver clasp because
Someone I love went to Vietnam and came back
Saw guns in hands
Maps
Screaming men
People holding hands
Someone I love went to the other side of the world 
and thought of me
If your house was on fire, what would you save?
The person they see in me 


by Contributing Poet  Laura Isabelle van der Hoeven   Copyright © 2024 
VWP 2024     First published in  VietnamWarPoetry.com 

Bio:  Laura Isabelle van der Hoeven  is an Amsterdam-born writer who publishes modern poetry and prose. She currently resides in Melbourne, Australia. She holds a MSc in Public International Law with a specialization in conflict and security.
 ​