Hear me
read
the poem as
an MP3 file.
Watch me
read
the poem as
an MP4 video.
Audio and Video Music:
Borderless.
Aakash Gandhi.
Music free to use
at YouTube.
Copyright by
Nicholas Gordon
Identity requires memory.
No less than people, nations must
recall
Days past, lest they wander
witlessly,
Erased each moment, guided by the
wind,
Pushed by lusts no wisdom can
forestall.
Events are facts that one cannot
rescind,
Nor can forgetting consequence
forego.
Despite one's wish, the past is not
behind:
Even now, it works its wayward will,
Nor can we understand what we don't
know.
Contain your cavils, then, and snide
thoughts still,
Even as we celebrate our story,
Described with all the clarity and skill
A scholar can sustain in heart and
mind,
Yielding what for now is
history.
Copyright by Nicholas Gordon. Free for personal or non-commercial use.
Subscribe to this site on Substack
Subscribe to this site on YouTube
