MEMORIAL DAY

Memory can seem like both a blessing and a curse.  The pleasant kind of memory helps us get through the difficult times and remember that we are loved and valued, and remember those to whom we return these empowering feeling.  The other kind of memory - loss, grief, anger - these seem like a liability, but they can be a positive challenge as well: an opportunity for triumph over tragedy (spoken in the most dramatic terms).
But for today, Memorial Day, I want to share a haiku cycle I wrote in 2013 in recognition of the men and women who serve and have served - those who allow their lives to be changes irrevocably so that the rest of us can live in relative freedom.

Today, as with many days, I remember my father - Douglas G. Cullen - who served in the Korean Conflict.

The Experience    

by Judith Cullen
(c) 2013     

A reality

one’s self is changed forever

skilled maturity

Trained for all action

committed at high level

participation

Can we understand

their sweat, their blood given us

in a foreign land

Our best acquaintance

ever honor, and duty

their experience