BOOK 2: THE WHISPERS OF MEMORIES

Contemplation

Rivers of blood have cut deep gorges
in the surface of the earth.
No farmer has grown a kernel of corn
in a patch of land
that was not fertilized by human blood.
There was not an army that prayed to his God
that his enemy be spared
and his own life be taken in his place.
Nay—Prayers of thankfulness on lips
were offered for victories won
while the ears of the dying
still heard.

Forgetfulness

The requiem of forgetfulness is easily sung
and forgiveness is readily given
while man’s bones hang from trees,
his ashes in the furnaces are not yet cool,
and the bodies in graves go unidentified.

Where the wounds of love are not yet healed,
the cords of human ties are not yet cut,
where shock is still so great that no gap is felt
between the departed and those who remain—
Who will heal all these wounds?

While all these things were done,
the sky did not change,
nor did Earth move from its orbit.
The sun rose and set.
The stars were seen just the same.
And there is no help for man, from any source.
For as he holds on to his goodness,
so does he also retain his evil.
Awake, man—
See what you seek to forget!

To Sue

Every day set yourself in motion,
for life must move.
Movement is the eternal restlessness
demanding action and adjustments
in thoughts, feelings, deeds,
and above all your aspirations.
Remember this well—
write it in your heart of hearts—
Your life, as the life of all the living,
is not the result of a phenomenon.
Rather, life forms them and directs them.
To understand your life,
you, as everyone else—
including me, your father—
must exercise choice!
and use our memories!
You, Sue, my daughter,
have a moral influence
upon other human beings—
your family, your community,
and upon all the living,
all through your life.

With love,
your father