He waved people to the front of the room, joking about havingtaken a shower just that afternoon. He tested out his microphonewith football referee calls and plays. Then he moved over 70students to silence with his words.
Dr. William D. Ehrhart gave his poetry reading, titled "ThePolitics of Poetry in an Age of Terror," in the Art and Journalismbuilding on Monday night. Introduced by his friend, BSU professorDr. Tony Edmonds, as "the father of what I would call Vietnampoetry," Ehrhart passionately read for more than 45 minutes. Poetrytopics ranged from childhood experience to his wife to the VietnamWar.
Many of Ehrhart's poems are focused on his wife and daughter.After reading a poem titled "Winter Bells" about his wife Annie,Ehrhart said, "I think Annie was God's way of making up to me."
Other serious poems included "Gorilla War" and a poem about theBogeyman. He compared himself in the latter to the childhoodmonster, which he believes are analogous to American soldiers inthe minds of Vietnamese children. Ehrhart read a piece comparingthe "bloodless" Kosovo War to Columbine - "The president saidviolence was not the answer the same week he started bombingBelgrade." The audience was not the only one moved. Tears reddenedEhrhart's eyes and his voice choked after a particularly personalpoem.
"Sometimes I get through it and sometimes I don't," he said.
Another poem titled "Sound Advice" read, "You should havelearned something growing up, but instead you volunteered." Ehrhartvolunteered to join the Marines right out of high school and was inVietnam for 13 months. The information he gets from his experiencethere is what gives him such a reputation for being a Vietnampoet.
During one of his poems, a student leaned forward in her chair,eyes closed, hand lightly at her neck. Laife Janovyak thought thatEhrhart's presentation was amazing.
"It was incredibly brave at this time in our history for him tocome and speak so candidly," she said.
But not all of his poetry is serious. Ehrhart had studentslaughing after an anecdote about a love poem he wrote to hiswife.
"You have no idea how often poetry has gotten me out of bigtrouble," he said.
The most controversial part of his "Politics of Poetry"presentation came in the question-and-answer session after thereading. Self-proclaimed as neither a Republican nor a Democrat,Ehrhart is extremely anti-war.
"I shot a 10-year-old kid. I shot an old lady. I shot an old manwith his hands tied behind his back... I just got to be like, 'Howdid this happen?'"
Ehrhart watched two male ROTC students walk out of the room aquarter of the way into the answer session. He called to the secondstudent and wished them both "good luck" and meant it. When afemale student thanked him for all he had done in courage hereplied, "I feel I'm serving my country more tonight than I everdid in uniform." Through his words, Ehrhart spreads the messagethat war is not justifiable in any sense. He feels that the kids inthe armed forces are not to blame, but that the people in chargeare.
"Your government will lie to you whenever it suits theirinterest... I can't wait for the kids in Iraq to come back. I havea feeling we'll have another whole generation of angry people."
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