Dan Wilcox served in the Army from 1969 through 1971. He is a photographer, peace activist, and longtime supporter of the local poetry scene and the Albany chapter of Veterans for Peace: https://www.vfpchapter10.org/
MEMORIAL DAY (1999)
By Dan Wilcox
The snap of the snare drums
the military beat of the bass drum
the bands play the Marine hymn
the Air Force song
the Stars & Stripes Forever
misnamed marches humming us to death
fake rifles snapped to real shoulders
what the crowd came to expect on Memorial Day, in the parade.
But this year a Peace Division marched too
with signs & aging draftees & veterans of the Cold War
with Jun-San & other Bodhisattvas from the Peace Pagoda
sending out another beat on flat, round drums
chanting the Sutra of the Lotus of the Wonderful Law
NA-MU-MYO-HO-REN-GE-KYO
slow, meditative, on & on, the beat of the flat drum
one, two, three, four, onetwothree
This is not the way soldiers were taught to march
one, two, three, four, onetwothree
no cymbal crash, no drumroll
one, two, three, four, onetwothree
the curved wooden sticks against the thin drums
one, two, three, four, onetwothree
NA-MU-MYO-HO-REN-GE-KYO
NA-MU-MYO-HO-REN-GE-KYO
until the bands, the high school cadets
the old veterans themselves
stumble, fall out of step with the military
lose the rhythm of guns & war
& march to the beat of World Peace.
© Dan Wilcox
Dan Wilcox on the web:
Paul Grondahl's conversation with Dan Wilcox, first published July 13, 2020
Dan Wilcox blog: dwlcx.blogspot.com
Dan Wilcox on Flickr: flickr.com/photos/dwlcx/
On Facebook: facebook.com/dwlcx
On Instagram: instagram.com/dwlcx46/
On Twitter: twitter.com/Dwlcx