Memorial Day

Memorial day is the when we remember all wars. We know about Arlington, but also Dayton, Ohio has a huge Military Cemetery starting at the Civil War, WWI, WWII, Vietnam and Korea, Iraq and Afghanistan and I may be forgetting one or other war like troops in former Yugoslavia... Seeing the flagged graves of all these people having been in a war, saddens me and strengthens my pacifism.

© sms:foto duisburg/rhein 2011

Here a Civil War Canon and  red white and blue streamers... These colors pervade everything. People walk along the the green grass in a solemn mood, bringing flowers, tokens of remembrance and caring.

Brothers and daughters, two children, about seven and eight at the grave where it says Cathy M. Soldier and other of two.
Memorial Day

A hot humid day in Dayton Ohio
row upon row
white stone after stone
bronze plaques
names and dates
rank and specific
war
engraved
scratched in souls
on stone
flag upon flag of endless ages
of flag after flag
the sad and sorrow price of
war -

By the way: war is not inevitable, it doesn't make us safer and humans are not naturally violent.
Peace takes more guts!