Memorial Day 2012

Memorial day is a a day set aside for purposeful remembering those, from among us, who have died and gone on to what ever there might be to go on to. It started out as a day to remember American soldiers, both Union and Confederate who died during the Civil War. As America grew and progressed she sent more of her youth to be sacrificed on the alter of war and so Memorial Day was soon a Day to remember the dead of all our wars. And now today, so as to be inclusive of all Americans, it's become a day to remember any and all of our friends,family and loved ones who have passed beyond the living as we know it. There are parades and speeches but I guess the thing that stands out as the thing that signifies Memorial Day activities is the decorating of the graves in our cemeteries; that's probably why it was originally called Decoration Day. Veterans organizations sell poppies as a way to wear remembrance on our lapels, purse straps, or such.

I went to war as did many of my ancestors, but as far as I know no one of them died on the battle field nor from wounds suffered there. At least not wounds in the normal sense of the word. Each of us left a part, if not all of our innocence in those theaters of battle though; our hearts and spirits were wounded and they are wounds that never heal. They may scab over but the sera of memory is easily provoked to spill out with the slightest stimulus. In particular for me is the sight of the Wall. The mere contemplation of this memorial chokes my throat and only a supreme effort can keep the tears contained behind my eyes. To venture near to that Wall or any replica thereof will cause the tears to spill over copiously and anguish well up in my heart and escape past my lips in the lowest of moans.

So today I will go to the cemetery and plant living flowers over the graves of a few of my ancestors, to include a veteran of the Civil War, WWI, and WWII., and their wives, sons, daughters, wives, brothers and nephews.

While I'm kneeling there I'm going to take a few minutes to pray, to pray for an end of War.

random thoughts ,Tahiti & aliteration

random thoughts:

Holy magna cum laude Astrid!

One man's garbage is another man's supper.

I live my life in sound bites and I listen too little.

deracinate....

All this while reading a magazine devoted to Creative nonfiction.

The prompt for Magpie tales this week is a painting by Paul Gaugin,  Since I'm not going to submit to the Mag this week I'll just do my own interpretation by changing the picture and adding some words of alliteration that I left on another's submission.

Succulent

Salacious

Satisfying

Sensual

Sipping

South Seas

Sapphos



Sappho: Sappho's poetry centers on passion and love for various personages and both genders. The word lesbian derives from the name of the island of her birth, Lesbos, while her name is also the origin of the word sapphic; neither word was applied to female homosexuality until the nineteenth century.^[

There's a highway leads to nowhere,
I've been there many times.
For miles and miles it stretches
With nary a soul to find.

There's always been an exit
To get me back to town.

Time and time again
To the lost highway I am bound.
And I know the day will come
When no exit will be found.

The road of life has been kind
To me, and gentle by and far.

That lonely road to nowhere-
I'll trod 'til who knows when.
Put my picture in the obit there,
I won't be to work again.

blog post 1000

A doctor entered the hospital in hurry after being called in for an urgent surgery. He answered the call ASAP, changed his clothes and went directly to the surgery block. He found the boy’s father going and coming in the hall waiting for the doctor. Once seeing him, the dad yelled: “Why did you take all this time to come? Don’t you know that my son’s life is in danger? Don’t you have the sense of responsibility?”

The doctor smiled and said: “I am sorry, I wasn’t in the hospital and I came the fastest I could after receiving the call… And now, I wish you’d calm down so that I can do my work”
“Calm down?! What if your son was in this room right now, would you calm down? If your own son dies now what will you do???” said the father angrily
The doctor smiled again and replied: “I will say what Job said in the Holy Bible “From dust we came and to dust we return, blessed be the name of God”. Doctors cannot prolong lives. Go and intercede for your son, we will do our best by God’s grace”
“Giving advice when we’re not concerned is so easy” Murmured the father
The surgery took some hours after which the doctor went out happy, “Thank God! Your son is saved!”
And without waiting for the father’s reply he carried on his way running. “If you have any question, ask the nurse!!!”
“Why is he so arrogant? He couldn’t wait some minutes so that I ask about my son’s state” Commented the father when seeing the nurse minutes after the doctor left
The nurse answered, tears coming down her face: “His son died yesterday in a road accident, he was in the burial when we called him for your son’s surgery. And now that he saved your son’s life, he left running to finish his son’s burial”

NEVER JUDGE ANYONE because you never know how their life is and as to what is happening or what they’re going through

Post 999

Did you hear it this morning?

At 3 AM or there abouts
I awoke - -
Rain drops? were
pat-pat-pattering
their rhymthmic beat
On our metal roof.

A soothing
hypnotic chant
requiring one to
lie quietly; letting the sound
massage
the ear? the
Brain.

Not so relaxing if one were out-
side at 40
degrees, no coat,
nature pellting you with cold shards
of precipitation.

perspective;
its where you are
that colors
your page.