Identity Requires Memory
[HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY]
Identity requires memory.
No less than people, nations must recall
Days past, lest they wander witlessly,
Erased each moment, guided by the wind,
Pushed by lusts no wisdom can forestall.
Events are choices one cannot rescind,
Nor can forgetting consequence forego.
Despite one’s wish, the past is not behind:
Even now, the heroes work their will,
Not needing us, nor tamed by what we know.
Contain your cavils, then, and snide thoughts still,
Even as we celebrate our story,
Demanding all the clarity and skill
A scholar can sustain in heart and mind,
Yielding what for now is history.
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