Camouflaging the Chimera BY Yusef Komunyakaa (Grades 10+)

"Camoflauging the Chimera" is a poem that takes place during the Vietnam War from 1955-1975. It depicts the static and reserved nature of war and paints the picture of soldiers attempting to remain undetected in the rainforests of Vietnam and the quiet bonds that are created between soldiers and adjacent animals.The poem also explores the dubious mindsets of the soldiers and their tendency to accuse any disturbing force for trying to "uncover" their location to enemy forces. Yusef Komunyakaa was born in Bogalusa, Louisiana and received his BA from the University of Colorado Springs, his MA from Colorado State University, and an MFA from the University of California-Irvine. His poetry has been described as weaving "together personal narrative, jazz rhythms, and vernacular language to create complex images of life in peace and in war" (Poetry Foundation). He was the recipient of the Wallace Stevens Award in 2011 and has received several other honors and awards including and not limited to the William Faulkner Prize and the National Endowment for the Arts. Currently, Komunyakaa serves as Distinguished Senior Poet in New York University's graduate creative writing program.