Karen
05-31-2021, 01:06 PM
I never say "Happy Memorial Day"
Because "Happy" does not convey
The solemnity of this day
Honoring the war dead
The service members
Who have gone on that last long march
And in our family
All those who came before us.
Honoring those people
Planting flowers, cleaning gravestones
Picking up sticks and branches
When necessary -
These things we do out of respect
And tell the stories
To the next generations
And newcomers
So the lessons their lives taught us
The laughter, the pain
The cautionary tales
And what wisdom we could glean
When they were alive
That is how we honor them,
Remember them
Respect them
And mourn some absences still
It is not a "happy" day,
But a worthwhile one
And it feels important every year
And I think too
Of those whose graves
Are far from me
But whose memories
Live on in my heart.
Rest in peace, all of you
Work done
Lessons taught
Be at peace.
Because "Happy" does not convey
The solemnity of this day
Honoring the war dead
The service members
Who have gone on that last long march
And in our family
All those who came before us.
Honoring those people
Planting flowers, cleaning gravestones
Picking up sticks and branches
When necessary -
These things we do out of respect
And tell the stories
To the next generations
And newcomers
So the lessons their lives taught us
The laughter, the pain
The cautionary tales
And what wisdom we could glean
When they were alive
That is how we honor them,
Remember them
Respect them
And mourn some absences still
It is not a "happy" day,
But a worthwhile one
And it feels important every year
And I think too
Of those whose graves
Are far from me
But whose memories
Live on in my heart.
Rest in peace, all of you
Work done
Lessons taught
Be at peace.