May 31, 2006
memorial day 2006
I celebrated--if that is the word--Memorial Day by performing (with the Rhythm Workers Union) at an event in Frederick, Maryland, called Frederick's Days of Reflection on the Human Cost of War. Most of the performers were like us: peaceniks, progressives, artists, etc. I couldn't think of a better way to remember the soldiers and civilians lost in war, by creating, through music, a joyful energy for peaceful change. I just wish more Frederickans had come out. As you can see from the picture, most of the seats at the bandshell were empty. The picture is a little misleading: it was too hot to sit in the seats under a burning sun; most of the folks were hidden in the trees around the park, safely in the shade.
Accompanying the event was a project of the American Friends Service Committee, an exhibit called Eyes Wide Open, which displays the empty combat boots of soldiers killed in Iraq. The exhibit travels to different cities, and caters its message to the local community. In the case of Frederick, it was an exhibit of 40 pairs of boots, tagged with the names, ages, and hometowns of Maryland and Distric of Columbia, side by side with a visual representation of the thousands of Iraqi civilians killed during the war.
That was Sunday. On Monday, when Memorial Day was actually celebrated, I looked for, and read, peace poems. Here is one of them: from America: a Prophecy, by William Blake.
"For Empire is no more, and now the Lion & Wolf shall cease."
William Blake, America: A Prophecy, 6.15