May 24, 2007

• Three Year Xangaversary Celebration: Part 2

  

  The following entry was originally posted on this blog on May 30, 2005, and is being reposted as part of my "3rd Xangaversary Celebration." It's a little early for the holiday, but never too early for the thoughts that go with it. MFN

  

   

  "Memorial Day"
  Poetry by Michael F. Nyiri
  May 30, 2005

  
  Flowers strewn with grief and tears
  Hold a breath for freedom
  War and pain, young life it shears
  In our dreams we see them
  Marching forth for victory
  Shot dead on hills and plains
  Raise the flag of thee I see
  Hopeless pains and wracking brains
  God grant peace in time of war
  As young life ends in Memorial silence
  Yet bodies fall without a care
  Can nothing stop this violence?
  Pray for young lives in the ground
  Life missing, lost, right here, right there
  And thought for naught, no instance sound
  Will mankind 'ere wake from his nightmare?

  
  General Order # 11

  HEADQUARTERS GRAND ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC
  Washington D.C. May 5, 1868
  General Orders No. 11

  I. The 30th day of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or other decorating the graves of  comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village and hamlet churchyard in the land. In this observance no form of ceremony is prescribed, but Posts and comrades will, in their own way, arrange such fitting services and testimonials of respect as circumstances may permit.

  In Flanders Fields
  By John McCrae

  In Flanders fields the poppies blow
  Between the crosses, row on row,
  That mark our place; and in the sky
  The larks, still bravely singing, fly.
  Scarce heard amid the guns below. 

  We are the dead. Short days ago
  We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
  Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
  In Flanders fields. 

  Take up our quarrel with the foe:
  To you from failing hands we throw
  The torch; be yours to hold it high.
  If ye break faith with us who die
  We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
  In Flanders fields.

  ---

  On May 30th, 2004, I created my very first Xanga Blog entry. I planned yesterday to begin with a photopost of the pictures I took at the Getty Museum on Saturday. Then I would post something commesurate with the fact that I've been blogging here on this service for a year. I was going to ask my readers to see if I could get my first 20 comment blog post. Grand plans and designs, as usual. Yesterday I posted my review for the new Star Wars picture. A fellow Xangan has included me in a game of tag. So much seems to be going on, but this morning when I awoke, I thought not of Xangaversaries, or photos of Art Museums, or of lists of books and challenges. I thought of the thousands of dead soldiers littering the fields of Gettysburg, of Omaha Beach, of Korea, and Vietnam, of Afghanistan, and of Iraq. (And other countless fields in other countless wars, where Americans are not even involved.)  I stopped for a short moment to shed a tear for the stupidity that keeps sending these poor young lives into oblivion year after year after year. I created the above image as a tribute to the soldier. The full size image can be clicked upon and enlarged. Memorial Day is an American Holiday, established after the Civil War, a conflict when, suspiciously like the very time we live in, almost half of the country disagreed with the other half, culminating in a war that literally pitted "brother against brother". Although the soldiers presented are American soldiers, I have deliberately not portrayed the American Flag nor Eagle in this composite. The poppy and field of flowers used for the background are meant to be a Universal Memorial to all the world's dead. Our friends and our enemies. Our brothers and sisters. War is fought for ideas and ideals, and it is the "young life" of all races, creeds, and nations who pay the price. I have always believed in peace, and in humankind's strength and werewithal to be able to come together and resolve the petty problems and  differences of opinion which cause so much bloodshed on a global scale. I am but one man, attempting to dry my eyes of their tears. I bless the fallen, and I pity the living.

  When indeed, will mankind 'ere wake from his nightmare?

  

  ---

  EDIT: 5/25 7:00 p.m. pdt: I received 14 comments on this Memorial Day post from 2005 and 21 comments on my Memorial Day (Xangaversary Post) in 2006. Among the readers who I still count among "friends" and who still visit from 2005 are thenarrator , jerjonji , Dosmangoes , knightingale , screaminginmyhead , closethippie , maureenrose (when she decides to blog) ,razorwords (now using her name, SitaStrangling , but rarely blogging, 8 of 14. And threre's 12 of 21 still visiting from 2006.  suzyQ_darnit  , The_Queen_Of_Swords , paison_de_moot  ,  Bronco_Bear, who is now Bear_photographer , jassmine, soccershades7 , mourning2dancing , LadyArual, Oz_girl ,  thereluctantsinger , Emjay1 . That was a neat exercise. I like these numbers. Thanks to everyone who keeps me interested in keeping my blog on Xanga. (Even though I know I'm going to have to give into their "themes" eventually) where community blogging was invented.  MFN.

  • 9:21 am
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