Poem: 'Page 24' - based on a Vietnam War photo

PAGE 24 

 (COLOUR SUPPLEMENT) 

 – Nick Ut’s picture of naked Vietnamese girl 

 running from Trang Bang Napalm strike 

 8th June 1972, in photo-journalism retrospective 

she dies 

in full color 

between the Sanyo 

and the Nissan ads, 

the fine fire of her hair 

caught by gravure, delicate patterns 

scream across imitation glossy paper, 

taken spontaneously in bad light, 

toning the anger with shadow, 

the slight over-exposure blur 

freezes motion, adds the 

authentic immediacy of 

committed directness 

to her eternalised 

agony 

will 

impress 

readers with its 

radical chic dissent, 

its validity of stance, no 

longer the stuff of awards, 

ten years ago perhaps, 

but good copy 

nevertheless 

and 

there’s always 

the chess 

overleaf 

 Earlier version published in:
‘SMOKE’ (UK)
‘GRAPESHOT no.3’ (Australia - Sept 1975)