WHY WE MEMORIALIZE TODAY

Today is Memorial Day. For some, it will be just another holiday that includes swimming, picnics, grilling in the backyard, sports binging, or a lazy day with a cold drink and a good book.

Whatever your activity this year, please take a moment and reflect on the reason why you have the freedom to do as you please.

Today, we remember the men and women who sacrificed their lives in the military service of their country. Today, their shadow falls over us and protects us from the vilest forms of oppression, injustice, and slavery. Their deaths mean we live free.

I understand we are a suffering people. And socially, we have much to learn and need many adjustments to find better days. But the shadow I speak of allows you the ability to complain about a leader without going to jail. It allows you to wake up without having to put on a gas mask and sling a weapon on your shoulder before going outside. The shadow of spilt blood allows you to worship where you wish and with whom you wish. The shadow of many men and women are the security blanket to the life we live in this country, and with the greatest amount of protections and freedoms than enjoyed anywhere else in the world.

Wars were fought all over the world. Men died in the jungles, in the sands, in the streets, on the oceans and in the air, against many kinds of aggressors. And forgetting our political beliefs for the reason soldiers were deployed there, the point is they stayed and they fought and they were valiant and they died believing in one simple truth — that we, and this country, were worth it.

No, I’m not going to be naïve and say that we don’t have issues in this country. There are home grown and international terrorists who lurk in the very shadows that rest over us. We have “leadership” with questionable moral fiber and a systemic national misogyny thankfully but slowly going up in smoke under the #MeToo movement. We have African American, Hispanic, Asian and Native American people who are fighting prejudice and wrongful deaths as well as cultural persecution. We have gangs and drugs and legal fighting over abortions and border walls and immigration.

We are not perfect.

Some would say certain among us aren’t truly free.

I say they are wrong. I’ve been to other countries and I’ve seen what happens to those who speak out, who step out of line, who dare to use the freedoms that Americans have and they don’t. I know the jails where the lead paint peels from walls, where the dirt floor hides the scorpion skeletons, and the threat of death is real in a worship-our-way-or-die country. The other side of the fence isn’t greener. It’s swampy and stinks and is filled with smothering terrorism, cultural and societal fetters, chains that will force people into a daily life on its knees.

We are not them.

So while you watch sports and debate with your family over whether or not to take a knee, if you think that teachers (the hardest working advocates for our children) should not get a pay raise, if you argue about feminism (not really understanding what it is), or why English and American Anglicans are not the same, then do so with an appreciation and a respect that your freedom to complain and debate allows to you.

Then be grateful for and protective of that freedom. You can say what you like (as long as it is respectful and appropriate to the situation), you can own a gun, you can watch whatever silly news media you like and read whatever book you wish. You can take pictures of your trip or write a blog and complain. You can file a lawsuit or be a man and marry your male lover. You can go to the pool or the bowling alley, or skating rink or whatever kind of parade you want, and you can check out a movie, eat meat or fish or drink alcohol or clean water. You can be a woman and shoot a gun or be a man and mother and father children.

You are free. And you are because of the continued sacrifices by the brave men and women in the military who died so you could freely complain about how miserable your life is. Please take a moment to enter the military section of your local graveyard and give a moment of silent respect to the fallen. Most of them died willingly for the only thing they clearly understood. that is freedom over tyranny. Each and every one of our fallen made us “the land of the free and the home of the brave.” Let us cherish that which they died to provide.

Have a safe Memorial Day and God Bless America.

Proud to be a non-combat veteran, I remain, Yours Between the Lines,

Sherry

The Need for Poetry Never Ends

National Poetry Month ends today and while some may be letting out a sigh of relief, it is worth reminding ourselves that poetry serves a purpose in civilization and lives well beyond the April Madness every year. I believe our need for poetry never ends because it serves as witness of societies flaws and struggles and then gives voice to the observations. We see ourselves in ways we do not in other mediums.

Forbes Magazine has long highlighted poetry with responsibility. Take for example an article Jul 9, 2010 about Poetry and Pollution. The newly announced poet laureate W.S. Merwin wrote of ecological disasters. But Merwin is by far not the first to use his pen and write with a “social responsibility.”

In literature, where we seek social justice, first you have to understand what is meant by social responsibility. The best definition I ever read was, “the awareness of social injustice, from the local to the global, necessitates specific actions to combat those injustices. In other words, social responsibility and social activism are inextricably intertwined; once aware of the injustice, one is morally obliged to act.” (Naomi Benaron, author, 2012).

For fiction writers, there is a long history of literature intertwined with a need to highlight social responsibility and therefore find social justice. From Quixote, Dickens, and Austin through more current folks like Parsipur, Merwin, and Lucia Mann, there is a compelling need for writers to seek answers in the darkness and to speak out with authority whenever possible to shine light, right wrongs, and seek betterment for their lives, societies and countries.

But what of the poet? What makes the poet separate from the fiction writer? And are they more or less powerful with the pen?

I think it begins with a belief that social responsibility begins with children. What better way to send a message than a poem that one can learn, recite, and then remember forever? Besides understanding how poetry has always been a voice in the dark, then discovering those lights shows us how much social injustice has been highlighted in poetry.

Once Chinese immigrants were incarcerated at Angel Island, California during the early 1900s. They wrote their poetry on the walls, despite being told not to. Their poetry filled the halls of their prison and became known as the “talking walls.” From these walls, we learned of their belief in a right to freedom. And that they believed no one has the right to restrict their right to protest injustice. Their poetry was a powerful tool. Here is a short quote from one of the Chinese poems:

“For days I have been without freedom on Island.

In reduced circumstances now, I mingle with the prisoners.

Grievances fill my belly; I rely on poetry to express them.”

The beautiful language highlighted the impoverished conditions and sparked a need for a more fair and just society.

Another desirable aspect of poetry is its ability to present ideals and stress a position, to step off neutrality without the ugliness. There is a responsibility in our country to propose freedom and democracy. Political dictators and oppressionists have attacked these sorts of poets because they find social injustice poetry to be dangerously seditious. Which is exactly why I – and so many others — find it powerful.

Those young Chinese poets also did not take their use of poetry lightly. There was nothing common or funny about the literary tool. In their culture, poetry is the preferred method for highlighting social injustice. This is what makes their “talking walls” so important, that they leaned on their culture as they sought to expose social injustice. It also comforted them, giving something familiar. Here is a sample of one in translation. From the Angel Island bathroom wall:

Most of all, I think the power of poetry exposing social injustice comes in humanizing issues and reaching people on an emotional level. Poetry allows us to gently empathize, find common ground, and to make what is scary or heinous more touchable. Again, it starts with children, learning to deal with social isolation, bullying, differences, and finding understanding in diversity. Shel Silverstein and Dr. Seuss did it for children and made topics easily remembered. Maya Angelou made it easy for adults to understand and want to do better.

This was exactly my thought when I wrote my third book of poetry, The Book of Now. Not that it could be for children, because truthfully it is too harsh for little kids. But that I can cover terrorism, bullying, abuse, political bigotry and so many other harsh and divisive issues while pointing out the need for and the power of diversity, compassion, and knowledge.

Today’s important poets have shown me the way. From Swiss poet Daniele Pantano, Harlem Renaissance poet Langston Hughes, to past U.S. Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera, poetry ignites the issues and sparks a need for change. And these changes may simply be in how we view an issue, more enlightened, more open-minded, more resolved.

I certainly don’t expect to remake the world or create a tsunami of change. However, with my poetry, I want others to see subtleties, discover new emotions, and open dialogues of change. There are controversial issues in The Book of Now. We have to be fearless and open-minded if we are going to make this world a better place. Poetry is my way of highlighting social injustices and directing where our social responsibility might be. I think poets make the unpalatable more digestible, because they do it with compassion inside their honesty. I hope I did the same.

I contend that poets believe in possibilities. Like me, The Book of Now does, too. I hope the message resonates with some of you and that you will take up the banner against the social injustices highlighted in The Book of Now. Join an illustrious population of people striving for a better world.

Poetry remains one of the most steadfast literary necessities no matter your age, sex, color, race, ethnicity, orientation or creed. Poetry reminds us who we are, where we have been, and how we might face the future together.

Just because the National Poetry Month is over doesn’t mean poetry should end. In fact, I’m hoping we never bring about such a horror and instead, realize the important role poetry plays in the world.

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Thanks for coming by! Next month, more on the new book, character insights, writer tips and surprises! Don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter while you’re here (right margin).

I remain, Yours Between the Lines,

Sherry

Today is the venerable President’s Day. And yes, it’s with an apostrophe “s” and not an “s” apostrophe. It is not a multiple presidents’ day, though many believe that it is and truthfully, it sometimes is. Confused? President’s Day is actually President Washington’s Birthday remembered. Today we celebrate our founding father’s birth with cherry pie (or any cherry desserts) because supposedly George said, “I cannot tell a lie; I chopped down the cherry tree.” That statement is much debated but given February 20 is National Cherry Pie day, why not serve some?

Anyway, back to President’s Day. It isn’t actually Washngton’s birthday. That’s on the 22nd. But we needed to celebrate him so we made his birth a federal holiday (that Monday holiday law which I will not debate here). No, we don’t celebrate Lincoln’s Birthday because that was the 12th. Though, we do often lump both presidents together because it’s convenient and saves our making a second holiday. People often believe that Washington’s friend and future president Andrew Jackson was included in this President’s Day and that’s incorrect. Jackson’s birthday isn’t until March 15.

So what are we really celebrating? Besides celebrating our first President and one of the founding fathers, we are also celebrating the successors to the office of the Presidency, right? At least that is what Nixon wanted but that would be a falsehood if you believe that. Neither Congress, nor Nixon, changed the official name of the holiday.  No, we are only celebrating Washington’s Birthday.

Yes, a lot of finagling has gone on over the holidays and moving them to Mondays, and what date was original (Julian vs Gregorian calendars). But what matters right now is the day is called Washington’s Birthday and is meant to recognize one man. Just to be sure there’s no doubt about what day the government celebrates, Washington’s Farewell Address is read aloud in the Senate, a tradition that began in 1862. 

So what else is important? We give tribute to Washington because he was the general who created the first military badge of merit for the common soldier; in fact, there were three.

The Badge of Distinction for veterans non commissioned officers and soldiers who served more than three years and a second badge for non commissioned officers who served honorably more than six years. The last, and probably the most notable and historic, is the Badge of Merit. Described as: “whenever any singularly meritorious action is performed, the author of it shall be permitted to wear on his facings over the left breast, the figure of a heart in purple cloth, or silk, edged with narrow lace or binding.” 

This Badge of Merit was given only three times during the American Revolution. But it became the reason behind General MacArthur’s behest for the Purple Heart in 1932.  Thus, George Washington’s face became the stamp on the front of the Purple Heart Medal. 

For this reason we can remember and honor our Founding President with pride. Sure, he was human and had slaves and was flawed in major ways. But I’m a retired, non-combat veteran and I am proud that this founding president thought so much of his soldiers that he wanted to reward them for sacrifice and service. He was the first and I am grateful.

We have 44 presidents since General Washington. Some we will never forget, some we will never remember. But of all who stood beside our flag, this first president was a man who cherished his servicemen, stood and fought beside them, worried over them, cried for them and cheered with them. He believed that honor was in how you served, how you behaved, and how you lived. Those beliefs made him a strong President on which to build a government.

He was the first. Happy Birthday General and President Washington. I salute you.

Thanks for stopping in.
I remain, Yours Between the Lines,

Sherry