The usefulness of war is greatly diminished when examining the casualties that result.Upon examining "Toys in a Field" the effects of war are closely monitored. The images illustrate a chilling aftermath:Using gun mountsfor monkey bars,Vietnamese childrenplay skin-the-cat,The games children play must encompass battle fields left by the horrors of war. They emulate the tools of war they have seen and those that lie before them,"suspended in doorwaysof multimillion dollar helicoptersabandoned in white-elephant graveyards" acting out functions of war," spread-eagled they imitatevultures landing in fields." The destitute imagery is reflected in the final lines of the poem. The ultimate pain of the war is the children who are fruits from a union unspoken of:except for the boywith American eyeswho keeps singingratatat-tat, hugginga broken machine gun.Komunyakaa presents an introspective look at the war through the effects of its aftermath."Through these techniques the personas in the poems remain simultaneously inside and outside the experience."10 A theme that remains a constant throughout Komunyakaals work is his ability to convey the images that are permanently ingrained in his mind to the reader.A search for salvation by the soldiers often produced ghostly figures that appeared with the intent to save them. Such is the case with " Night Muse & Mortar Round". She is as much a function of war as c rations and ammunition,"She shows up in every war.her flowing white gown's a little less erotic& she's more desperate." She is the spiritual protector causing the driver of the Jeep to stop and risk a court-martial."The spiritual dimension, or that in particular sensitivity the speaker of 'Night Muse & Mortar Round' attributes to his metaphysical conditioning generated by this war, is depicted as a protective (rather than prohibitive) force."11 She is created to help the combatants. As the Jeep starts after stopping you hear the explosion "w...
