IT Home Learning : Rainbow Death

Rainbow Death **

America did not foresee
Green, pink, purple and other colors death potpourri!
Expecting others to pay a high price.
Now thinking twice?
Toll on the innocent and unborn.

Omnipotent and disregarding who will mourn.
Reflective about all the illness, birth defects and prematurely dead.
All the deceit continues to spread.
Nefariously America led astray -
Generations untold WILL pay -
Execrable effects of agent orange spray!

Hubert Wilson

~~~

This poem is written by Hubert Wilson who was a soldier involved in the Vietnam War together with his four brothers serving in the USAF Security Service. He started having health problems, being sent to a contaminated environment. His health deteriorated and even no physicians has diagnosed the illness. Fortunately it did not affect his brain thus he followed his late father's footsteps and turned to writing.

The "Rainbow Death" in the poem refers to a herbicide and defoliant contaminated with TCDD( Tetrachlorodibenzodioxin) and is used by the US military during the war, also known as Agent Orange. Approximately 4.8 million Vietnamese people were exposed to it, causing the deaths and disabilities of 400,000 people and also birth defects in 500,000 newborns.

Among the "Rainbow Herbicides" employed in the herbicidal warfare program, Agent Orange was by far the most widely used. Agents Purple, Pink and Green were produced at that time too, and are also mentioned in the poem.

Therefore, it can be seen that the poem speaks of a modern day ingredient warfare which has resulted in appalling deaths and sufferings. Not only the intended victims (the Vietnamese) but also those who used or came into contact with the deadly weapon were affected. Even after the war has ended, the people there are still suffering up to today. In this poem, the author is trying to show the consequences of war especially the effects on people during and after the war. The horror of modern warfare is also brought up too. It also serve as a reminder on how huge improvements in technology has also lead to weapons of war nowadays to be more destructive than ever to mankind.