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Introduction: “I Listen” is a series of poems about “sleeplessness”. Lupe Mier wrote most of  The 15 “I Listen” poems   in 1969-70 on site “over there” (Vietnam). Each of the 15 poems begin with those two words. For “…sounds of war” I consider it as preamble for the set. But each piece can stand alone

I listen to the soft sounds of war       2011



There are times

I feel invisible

as an observer of events

participating only on the periphery.


But I am here


and I hear the noises of the night:

the weeping soldiers

the heavens crying softly

all those fast-moving overflowing streams


whether from monsoon

or from the eyes

of some lonely or frightened GIs…


I listen

 to these soft sounds of war

smothering their dreams



Guadalupe J. Mier

“Not  yet Free”


About the Author, Guadelupe (Lupe) Mier in his own words: I was drafted in 1968, and though trained as an Operating Room Tech, I served in Vietnam, Oct. 1969 – Sept. 1970 and was assigned basic Medic tasks: patrols, convoys, penicillin shots to naughty soldiers, etc. After Army, I returned to work as a librarian in Houston Tx and after various moves, ended up in Bellevue NE as director of their library. I retired after 25 years, in 2014 and now had time to participate in the Veteran Writers’ group that meets in Omaha, NE. 

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