Thus in silence in dreams' projections,
Returning, resuming, I thread my way through the hospitals;
The hurt and wounded I pacify with soothing hand,
I sit by the restless all dark night - some are so young;
Some suffer so much - I recall the experience sweet and sad...
--Walt Whitman, from Leaves of Grass, 1876
15 comments:
Bombs bursting in air? Not at all interesting to me. Nope.
Shalom.
It'd be nice if we found a better way to control our population growth.
Dreams can be so real that sometimes it is hard to believe you did not truly experience it. I have one where I lose all my teeth and when I wake up I have to check to see if they are still there. It always seems so real. I just wish my lottery winning one was true.
Great poem by Walt.
God bless.
You want to quote Walt Whitman. Let me tell you about Walter Reed. I was on the Beltway last night at rush hour, and a Walter Reed ambulance was coming up from behind. I was in the far right lane and slowed almost to a stop (not the safest thing to do) and with the "timing" of all of this way...the ambulance almost clipped me trying to get to the off ramp. I had a friend in the car and they were like WHOA! It was really bad driving...sloppy. I don't know who they were carrying as a patient, but I hope they use better sense in the future transporting wounded military.
Mrsupole? Oh yeah!! They sure can.
Cube, my goodness. Glad you're oK.
Ugh. So sad. So piercing.
Love your new camera photos! You get great effects! WW's poem is so powerful. Really, I never have understood the glory and honor aspect of battle. I know that sounds dense but there it is- I guess the struggle and losses from the past have allowed us to make a place for ourselves. Still power and a kind of greedy neediness characterizes political relationships. How can we learn to understand and negotiate with each other? Intense photographs! I like your blog remodel and new title. You're moving on.
(Oh did I mess up our follow link by changing my email on the blog? I noticed it wasn't on there but you still comment...maybe from facebook? I accidentally deleted some html text. sigh but you're back in my follow feed.)
I actually understand the essence of war, but not the particulars - it's part of the survival instinct, but it has gotten so out of hand. And the weapons - the weapons make everything so much worse.
you and Tami are on the same wavelength today, she mentioned Whitman in her blog today, too.
Tom that's so cool. I'm proud. xx
I notice your new digs on the sidebar. Cool. Love W.W.
The human tragedy is that try as we may, we just can't seem to live in harmony. If we could set aside our pride and for a moment listen to the other person's point of view, we might hesitate before sending our young men and women to die.
Merle, my sentiments exactly.
We will continue to have recurring dreams of war and strife until we replace the old habits of aggression and power with new patterns of peaceful coexistence.
I can honor the spirits of those who displayed great selflessness and valor by fighting a perceived evil in past wars. With that comes the knowledge that sometimes, those on the other side of the conflict felt the same way, therefore earning the same honor.
Today, we should see the futility of that path and seek, instead, to travel the decidedly more difficult path to mutual respect and peace.
I get to re-teach "Song of Myself" every two years, and it makes me cry and laugh every dang time.
Yes, THANKS, Uncle Walt. What a beautiful gift.
Post a Comment