APO 96225

APO 96225 by Larry Rottman

Larry Rottman directly imposes irony in his very straightforward and easy to read poem. There is not much to this poem other than its overall meaning. With the examples of "napalm" and "funny monkeys" I assume that the war this young man is fighting in is the Vietnam War. One message of the poem would be not to send depressing letters to your mother, however, the true message is that, sometimes, omitting the truth is the best way to protect our loved ones. That is how the son tries to approach writing his mom at first. He realizes the horrors he has seen and does not wish to shock his mom with the same stories. He writes about the weather, monkeys, sunsets, but never about what he was actually sent to do. It is not until his mom sends the last letter where she implores him to tell everything that he decides to answer honestly. It is evident that his answer shocks his mother, when his next letter is from his dad and demands he does not send depressing letters. The boy's initial proclivity to protect his mother from the reality of the situation was justified, and after he had told the truth, he felt horribly.