"The past is never dead, it is not even past."
~William Faulkner~
~William Faulkner~
Photographer: Adam Skoczylas
Dedication
They have been given
flags, these children,
to plant between the stones;
decorated sticks, each insertion
point chosen with grave
care; the same care
they give to tugging lace tights onto
stiff-kneed baby dolls, building
landing craft from perforated
plastic blocks, and arraying–
piece by piece–
squads of battered
soldiers along the arms
of couch and chair.
They have been given
flags, these children.
-Sara Lewis Holmes
From RN Clara Hart's post at The Sandbox:
It’s Memorial Day and while I want to remember, I don’t want to remember. I don’t want to remember my friends killed on September 11th, or the others who've died serving our great country. Those who I’ve worked so hard to save only to fail. I don’t want to remember the broken bodies I try so hard to fix. I don’t want to remember the scarred hearts that may never be mended. Read the rest.
Poetry Friday is hosted today by Tricia at The Miss Rumphius Effect.
Love your poem, and will look for your TeensReadToo post this weekend. Clara Hart's post is so heart wrenching.
ReplyDeleteSara,
ReplyDeleteLovely poem in honor of a special day whose significance and meaning are too often forgotten.
Thanks for the beautiful reminder of why we pause on Memorial Day -- not (solely) for barbeques and the welcome of summer, but as a time to remember.
ReplyDeleteHi Sara,
ReplyDeleteLove "chosen with grave care"
Clara Hart post was poignant. One of the most healing things for people who have experienced trauma like war is writing about it. See Dr. James Pennebaker's book: Opening Up: The Healing Power of Confiding in Others. Or read articles posted at: http://www.journaltherapy.com/ for more information.
Also, some JTTS Certified Instructors specialize in working with soldiers and PTSD.
Laura Evans
all things poetry
Beautiful poem, love it. Nicely written!
ReplyDelete