A half life time ago
My wife was dying
From melanoma
The chemotherapy
Failed her
But she hoped
Her last round
Would keep her
With me
I couldn’t say no
To her hope
Never take away hope
Hope
Remember
Some came by choice and some did not,
their service to our country makes it certain
that someone misses the one who fought
and others just draw the curtain.
We remember the ones who went away
but did not return to those who loved them,
So cherish the ones who won their way
and now are gone without a requiem.
The Seal and the Motto
The Great Seal
E Pluribus Unum
Out of many, one
The National Motto
In God We Trust
In Deo Speramus Nobis
It is a new age
With fewer than half of Americans
Participating in organized religion
It is a new age
When polarity in our politics
Is the highest since our Civil War
If we only write the motto
On our money, and not our hearts
We easily become bankrupt
If we only seek unity
Without compromise
The only thing sealed is our fate
We live in an age
That revels in self
At the cost of unity
We live in an age
That revels in wealth
At the cost of faith
Poverty of Spirit and
Self-centered divisiveness
Are only symptoms of what plagues us
The lights are slowly dimming
From our city on a hill
And the eyes of the world are upon us
While a single candle glows faintly
Millions flickering together rival the sun
E Pluribus Unum
In times of troubles
Prepare against the worst by living for the best
In God we trust
In the reign of those who divide us
Focus on those that join us
Trust the greater good to unify us in spite of ourselves
In God We Trust
Out of the many, one
Love
Whisper words
The sweetest sound
That I will ever know.
Whisper words
The bonds of love
That will forever grow.
We
We can try to be fair.
We will grab and hold fast.
We can be the first to care.
We will always be the last.
We will be a shining light.
We can push back on the caring.
We will light a candle in the night.
We can call kindness a red herring.
We can be the change we need.
We will revel in our leisure.
We can try to plant a seed.
We will pay for blood and treasure.
We can be a loving place.
We will cherish your dismay.
We can seek out good and grace.
We will look the other way.