Today has been a busy day in history, and not just for the reason you assume. Nathaniel Hawthorne was born on this day in 1804. Walt Whitman first published Leaves of Grass today in 1855, challenging and changing the face of poetry forever – the “poet of democracy.”
Lou Gehrig retired 80 years ago today, one of the early heroes of America’s pastime. His 278 words of goodbye survive in our collective memory as defining the spirit of American work ethic, although we are more likely to imagine the image of Gary Cooper than Gehrig in our minds.
In 1845 Henry David Thoreau moved into his shack on Walden Pond, where his personal introspection found a distinctly American voice that still instills reflection today.
In that spirit of reflection, and not in any way to detract from our
Fourth of July
Dripping flags
sag limply
in the downpour
Fireworks sputter
and drown
in the sea
of indifference
that dampens
this day when
we celebrate
the invention of
Coca-Cola hot dogs
and auto racing
the day the sky
chose to rain
on our parade
Perhaps only
this poem remembers
the meaning
and the precious
sacrifice spent
for the freedom
for too many
to forget
