Sunday Roast: Memorial Day

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

~Lt Col John McRae

This is our daily open thread — In Memoriam of those service members who died while serving their country.

In Memoriam: Walt the Man, 1941 – 2012

Walt the Man, one of the founding critters of The Zoo, passed away on Friday, April 6, 2012. Here are Walt’s first posts at The Zoo:

While W Read a Child’s Book, the Rest of the World Knew

In The Aftermath

NASA Antarctica Satillite Map

Snack Time for a Hawk

Walt’s Favorite Things

I think I’ll leave this Tribute at that last link, Walt’s Favorite Things.

All in all, Walt created over 500 posts for The Zoo. Feel free to peruse the archives and add links to your favorites, or any other comments you would like to add, in the thread below.

Requiem Aeternam, Walt the Man

The Watering Hole, Wednesday, March 28, 2012: In Memoriam

Crystal Time

 Who counts the sand

Who counts the sand
Falling gently in the hourglass?
Each grain a memory,
A memory in a crystal of time.

Who counts the tears
That fall in silent rage?
Each tear an outcry,
For vengeance in due time.

As the sand and tear drops fall;
Gath’ring torrents to the sea,
Who can stop the tide?
Who can change the course?
Who can heal the pain of each crystal memory?

Who will stop the sand?
Who will stop the tears
From falling, from falling?
Who will come to stop the children
From killing,
From dying?

Who will look into every grain
Of crystal time,
And hear mothers’ voices calling,
Crying,
Crying,
Dying…

When will the sand stop falling?
When will there be
The Counter of the Sand?

************************************************

Contemplations

Grieve for me a little while,
then smile,
and weep no more.

To face the end of one’s mortality,
That’s the easy thing.

But life!

To go on,
Takes all the courage and strength of one’s soul.

There’s the knowing and understanding of it all,
Which we may ne’er do.
And when we do,
It won’t mean a thing.

But love!

To go on,
Living and loving,
That’s the thing,
We all must do.

© 2012 Briseadh na Faire
(Photo from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bogenfreund/556656621/)

TODAYS OPEN THREAD IS DEDICATED TO EVERYONE WHO HAS EVER LOST A LOVED ONE.
YOU MAY ADD YOUR THOUGHTS ON THIS,
OR ON ANY OTHER TOPIC, 
AS THE SPIRIT MOVES YOU.