Last Days
by: Mary Oliver
Things are
changing; things are starting to
spin, snap, fly off into
the blue sleeve of the long
afternoon. Oh and ooh
come whistling out of the perished mouth
of the grass, as things
turn soft, boil back
into substance and hue. As everything,
forgetting its own enchantment, whispers:
I too love oblivion why not it is full
of second chances. Now,
hiss the bright curls of the leaves. Now!
booms the muscle of the wind.
It is that time of the year where everything boils back to substance and hue. I took my puppy for a walk earlier this evening, and I could smell the bright curls of the leaves under my feet, feel the breath of winter on my face. It is a time of change.
Today, the United States celebrated Veterans Day, honoring all the men and women who have served/are serving in the armed forces. My father served in the Army. My wife's father served in the Air Force. In the midst of the changing seasons, we pause to express gratitude for the sacrifices made by all these brave individuals.
Oliver says that she loves the oblivion of autumn because it promises second chances. Hope even.
That's why I find celebrating Veterans Day in November particularly appropriate. Because people serving in the United States military really sacrifice themselves for hope. Hope for peace. Hope for freedom. Nobody would volunteer for oblivion.
Yes, human beings have committed horrible acts against each other. Genocides. Holocausts. Wars. Lynchings. Slavery. I could go on and on. History is rife with human atrocities.
Yet, in the face of atrocities, human beings have also fought against them. Fought for justice and peace and liberty and compassion. Those ideals are worth defending. And that is what, I think, military service is (or should be) about--second chances. Witnessing something terrible and trying to make it better.
Tonight, Saint Marty salutes all military veterans. People who have tried/are trying to make the world a safer, happier, freer place by their service.
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