In Memoriam

by Serene Karplus

Snowfall coated the land as we slumbered,

Standing tall and innocent,

Our young ones nestled close.

We had danced in diversity,

Our many-hued shapes and scents

Celebrated by all who knew us.

At dawn, an enemy we had never known

Marched in, wielding weapons.

We stood unarmed, unguarded, unable to run.

They pillaged our home,

Mowing us down, the marked and more,

As we, helpless, stood silent and watched.

The forest woman wailed,

Pleaded for mercy, begged them to stop,

Her screams unheard over the engine’s roar.

“The area must be treated.

The prescription has been written.

Too many of the wrong kind destroys us all.”

The man hired the senseless to label us,

mark us disposable,

ready to be felled.

He brushed crumbs from his moustache,

Sliced the juicy steak,

Decreeing the carnage commence.

After men and metal had their way with us

We stood broken, our spirits crushed

Too weak to withstand winds.

Dead bodies mounded around us,

Wasted lives left to rot,

So all know the power of the man in command.

********

Memorial Day

As we honor the ancestors who raised the generations that gave us life,

As we salute the sacrifice of those who have served to protect us,

We also remember the lives of the many who have died,

Innocent victims in a battle not of their making,

As they stood unarmed against a force of power.

We pray for the souls of all who have fallen, of all species, in all lands,

Saddened by our losses in battles we could not win.

********

Everyone is invited to the Nederland Area Seniors luncheon at the Nederland Community Center at noon. A donation of $4 is requested from those over 60 years of age and $8.25 all others, but all seniors are welcome regardless of ability to pay. Please make reservations by 4 p.m. Friday for Monday lunch and 4 p.m. Monday for Wednesday lunch at 303-258-0799.

Monday, May 25: Holiday – No Lunch

Wednesday, May 27: BBQ Pork Loin on Bun, Potato Salad/Corn Chips,     Pickle, Melon