What's the Name of That Book??? discussion

The poet was a man, who had served in Vietnam. The poem is about a sudden discovery of a photograph-- THE photograph-- while rummaging around in a drawer.

It was the picture he kept with him, stared at, prayed to while he was in Vietnam. (I think it was Nam.) A picture of the woman he returned home to marry. A woman now his ex-wife.

I remember a line, something about "before the lies, before the betrayals" etc. Just a very poignant moment of the shock of recognition, of wistfulness and loss.

Has anyone read this?

I feel really stupid for not remembering, and for not being able to find anything on google. I'm hoping it's easy for someone else.

Gaeta1 wrote: "Sure haven't, Masamune. Looks interesting, though."

Ah, well. Thanks for checking!

Update: I found this.

"Mementos,1" by W.D. Snodgrass. Excellent poem, but I was wrong about it being Vietnam. It was WWII.

Thanks, drowningmermaid. If you find a book it's in, please let us know and we'll shelve the book.

Wow. That is an incredible poem.

The poem is in this collection: Selected Poems 1957-1987 by W.D. Snodgrass

I'll shelve it, while I'm here. Lisa, do we leave it in the other Solved folder, or move it to Adult Solved once we have a book?