From the collection of the National Park Service, National Mall and Memorial Parks.
assemblage
VIVE 11741
05/12/1997
Artifact assemblage consisting of a framed, handwritten poem & color photographic print and a handwritten letter by Haddonfield Memorial High School student Kirsten Whitlow. The poem is entitled "Annis," and in content speculates upon the potential emotional impact of the loss of the author's relationship with her twin sister Annis (pictured with the author as young children in the color photograph), while relating the sense of such a loss to the emotional strife of American service personnel in Vietnam. The handwritten letter accompanying the poem & photograph discusses the author's perception of moral and emotional support which derives from her relationship with her sister, while dedicating the entire artifact assemblage to Vietnam-era military personnel who never knew such support while serving overseas. The artifact assemblage was left at The Wall by Haddonfield Memorial High School student Kirsten Whitlow on May 2, 1997.
ASSEMBLAGE CONSISTING OF: COMPONENT (A) FRAMED, HANDWRITTEN POEM & COLOR PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINT AND COMPONENT (B) HANDWRITTEN LETTER. COMPONENT (A) FRAMED, HANDWRITTEN POEM & COLOR PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINT. THE OBJECT CONSISTS OF A HANDWRITTEN POEM ENTITLED, "ANNIS," IN BLACK MARKER OVER BLACK INK AND BLOCK SCRIPT UPON A RECTANGULARLY SHAPED SHEET OF WHITE, UNLINED PAPER. AFFIXED TO THE UPPER ONE-THIRD (1/3) OF THE OBVERSE OBJECT SURFACE OF THE SHEET (BETWEEN THE TITLE AND THE BODY OF THE POEM) VIA STRIPS OF CLEAR, ADHESIVE SCOTCH TAPE IS A FULL COLOR PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINT (LANDSCAPE ORIENTATION) UPON A RECTANGULARLY SHAPED SHEET OF WHITE PHOTO PAPER. THE POEM IS SIGNED BY, "KW [Kirsten Whitlow]", CONSISTS OF FOUR (4) STANZAS AND SEVENTEEN (17) TOTAL LINES (THUSLY, 4-4-4-5), AND DISCUSSES THE CHILDHOOD RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE TWO (2) GIRLS (TWIN SISTERS) PICTURED IN THE PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINT AND SPECULATES UPON THE POTENTIAL EMOTIONAL IMPACT OF THE LOSS OF THAT RELATIONSHIP WHILE RELATING THE SENSE OF SUCH A LOSS TO THE EMOTIONAL STRIFE OF AMERICAN SERVICE PERSONNEL IN VIETNAM. THE PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINT FEATURES A FULL COLOR IMAGE OF TWO (2) YOUNG, BLONDE-HAIRED, CAUCASIAN GIRLS (APPROX. FIVE (5) - SIX (6) YEARS OF AGE) SEATED IN A BROWN, UPHOLSTERED CHAIR, FACING THE PHOTOGRAPHER AND SMILING, WITH THE GIRL AT THE PROPER RIGHT-HAND SIDE WEARING A PINK SWEATER WITH HIGH, PURPLE COLLAR AND BLACK SOCKS AND THE GIRL AT THE PROPER LEFT-HAND SIDE WEARING A RED SWEATER AND MATCHING PANTS AND HOLDING A WHITE, STUFFED ANIMAL TOY. BOTH THE HANDWRITTEN POEM AND THE COLOR PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINT ARE HOUSED INSIDE A BLACK, POWDER-COATED METAL AND GLASS FRAME WHICH IS BACKED BY A SHEET OF BLACK CARDBOARD WITH ATTACHED BLACK METAL HOOKS FOR HANGING/DISPLAY, AND WHICH IS SHIMMED IN PLACE BY A SEGMENT OF PLAIN, BROWN CARDBOARD. THE CARDBOARD SHIM HAS BEEN AFFIXED TO THE FRAME AND BACKING BOARD ALONG THE LOWER, REVERSE OBJECT EDGE VIA STRIPS OF CLEAR, ADHESIVE SCOTCH TAPE. COMPONENT (B) HANDWRITTEN LETTER. THE OBJECT CONSISTS OF A HANDWRITTEN LETTER IN BLACK MARKER AND BLOCK SCRIPT/ARABIC NUMERALS UPON A RECTANGULARLY SHAPED SHEET OF WHITE, UNLINED PAPER ADDRESSED, "TO ALL THOSE WHO SERVED IN VIETNAM", FROM, "KIRSTEN WHITLOW / HADDONFIELD MEMORIAL HIGH SCHOOL / MAY 2, 1997", AND WHICH DISCUSSES THE AUTHOR'S SENSE OF MORAL AND EMOTIONAL SUPPORT THAT DERIVES FROM HER RELATIONSHIP WITH HER SISTER ANNIS WHILE DEDICATING THE LETTER, POEM, AND PHOTOGRAPH TO SERVICE MEMBERS IN VIETNAM WHO NEVER KNEW SUCH SUPPORT WHILE SERVING OVERSEAS.
VIVE-00158
3
Text of the handwritten poem (COMPONENT (A)) and of the handwritten letter (COMPONENT (B)) is transcribed in full, as follows: [COMPONENT (A), handwritten poem] "Annis, / When we were young, we held hands fast / and never knew the days would pass, / falling like snow in sifted hills; / How could we know? / You climbed with me down painted walls / of cribs and tumbled with me, hands held fast, / through all our falls, and upsey-daiseys, [sic] / gently mumbled. / Through teary smiles we clasped each other, / smelling all of Cheerios and being small, / and taking turns on Daddy's shoulders, / we took our turns in growing older. / Where will you be someday / when my smiles have run away? / You will leave me all alone, / Thoughts of you like fallen snow, / How could I have known? / KW" / [COMPONENT (B), handwritten letter] "To all those who served in Vietnam / In my life, I have never felt alone. / Since before my birth, there has always been a warm hand on my back, a safe feeling that everything will somehow be o.k.; this security lies in my twin sister, Annis. / She is the dearest thing to me because she is always with me, close to me in my heart. / I leave this poem and this picture for all the soldiers who were all alone in Vietnam, who weren't sure at all that everything would be o.k. / You, too, deserve to know that you are never alone. / Kirsten Whitlow / Haddonfield Memorial High School / May 2, 1997"
Item Weight: 450.0g (Weight of COMPONENT (A) only)
Item Length: 28.0cm
Item Width: 22.0cm
Item Depth: 1.0cm Frame depth)