Facing It

The metaphoric use of the “black wall” (line 1) extends from start to finish: The speaker begins the poem with the black wall consuming his “black face” (line 1) and ends with the black wall revealing a young boy and mother. The movement from the disappearance of the internal self into the revelation of a tender movement between family members largely affirms this poem as one of growth through self-reflection. By “facing” the wall, the speaker must grapple with not only the literal density and presence of it as something he cannot move and must stare down, but also with the psychological and emotional face offs. The idea of “facing” is key in this poem’s function, since it has multiple meanings and when layered with the concept of facing the Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall, the metaphor begins to take on numerous angles and dimensions.