Yes, it is Memorial Day in the United States. Every year, on the last Monday of the month of May, we celebrate and honor members of the U.S. armed forces who sacrificed their lives to defend our nation. This year, more than any other, it's even more important to remember the true meaning of this day--the preservation of freedom and democracy against tyranny, hatred, and authoritarianism.
Sharon Olds writes about the United States . . .
Topography
by: Sharon Olds
After we flew across the country we
got in bed, laid our bodies
intricately together, like maps laid
face to face, East to West, my
San Francisco against your New York, your
Fire Island against my Sonoma, my
New Orleans deep in your Texas, your Idaho
bright on my Great Lakes, my Kansas
burning against your Kansas your Kansas
burning against my Kansas, your Eastern
Standard Time pressing into my
Pacific Time, my Mountain Time
beating against your Central Time, your
sun rising swiftly from the right my
sun rising swiftly from the left your
moon rising slowly from the left my
moon rising slowly from the right until
all four bodies of the sky
burn above us, sealing us together,
all our cities twin cities,
all our states united, one
nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
Okay, Olds' poem is about sex. It's not very subtle in that regard. However, it's also about the freedom of speech (that's the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution for all those MAGA readers who've never read the document upon which our entire country is based). Olds can write a sex poem using the United States metaphorically and parodying the Pledge of Allegiance simply because it's her Constitutional right.
In other countries ruled by fascist dictators, poets have been thrown in jail for criticizing political leaders. Stalin did it. Putin is still doing it. Fortunately, the Constitution prevents President 47 from doing it in the United States (for now). All those brave members of the U.S. military who fought and died in armed conflicts did so in order to bear "true faith and allegiance to the Constitution" (that's in the oath all enlisted personnel take--check it out if you don't believe me). They sacrificed their lives so Olds could exercise her Constitutional rights as a U.S. citizen.
I was raised to respect and honor all military veterans. From a very young age, I knew that Memorial Day wasn't just about a three-day weekend and hotdogs and corn on the cob. It's about who we are and what ideals we should all hold dear, regardless of political affiliation.
I went to a Memorial Day parade with my family today. Then, we attended a Veterans of Foreign Wars service at a local cemetery. We placed flowers at the graves of relatives, including my father, who was a military veteran.
I am not a hater or war-monger or xenophobe. I believe in the worth of everyone, no matter where you come from, what you believe, or who you love. As a Christian, I was taught that all human beings are children of God. Kindness and compassion should be the guiding force of everything we do.
If you don't agree with these ideals, you are NOT a true patriot and you are NOT a true Christian. Sorry, not sorry. Read the Constitution and the Bible. It's pretty straightforward.
Saint Marty wrote a poem for Memorial Day based on the following prompt from The Daily Poet:
Write a poem where the first word starts with "A" and the last word of the poem ends with "Z." Somewhere in the poem mention the alphabet or alphabetical order. Have the poem be about something that has nothing to do with the alphabet. For extra credit, try to use a word that begins with each letter of the alphabet.
Taps
by: Martin Achatz
At my father's grave today,
a flag licks the bright
air as if whispering
his name, mustering him
to attention, him standing
straight as a cornstalk
as my mother's ashes
sigh beside him, tell
him to settle down,
relax until the angels
blow "Reveille" and all
the war dead fall in,
waiting to be counted
one last time before marching
off to that final reckoning,
from Private Second Class
Achatz to Staff Sergeant Zamora.
