One Poem by John Balaban (opens in new tab)

Crossing the Mekong Ferry, Reading the New Yorker August, 1968 Under the drilling sun, puttering past mud-tide mangrove swamps, the glossy cover struck my eye with its bursting yellow blossoms and grapevine leaves—nasturtiums or pumpkin flowers?—like those twining in tangles by our cottage back in Pennsylvania. Inside, another article by Thomas Whiteside. 2,4, 5-T, teratogenicity in births. South Vietnam 1/7th defoliated. Residue in rivers, rice, and mother’s milk. With a scientific turn of m...