The Memories of a Veteran

Yusef Komunyakaa's poem, "Facing It," speaks of the disturbed memories of a veteran. In the poem, the narrator, a black, Vietnam War veteran, is visiting the Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall in Washington, D.C. The speaker talks of how he feels, staring at the memorial wall, and also of how his memories still stay with him. He struggles at the memorial to keep his promise not to cry, but, now facing the wall, he is …

…him from his past. The title of "Facing It" conveys the idea of what the veteran is doing in this piece. In one way, there is the literal sense of the character facing the wall, while in another sense, the veteran is facing his past and his troubled memories to pay homage and respect to those fallen to the perils of war. He does this by facing his fears and looking into the reflective wall.