Friday, February 6, 2015

If Only

History is much colder
than you ever imagined,
far warmer than you’ve dreamed,
more dangerous than you ever thought,
less glamorous than we’ve written it,
and even more boring
than the latest generation sees it.

To be sure, there are many lessons
to be learned from its study;
but we dare not fool ourselves
into believing that the version currently playing
at the Rialto of Memory Lane
is any less a fairy tale than the stories
we read to our grandchildren.

When we see ourselves
as its preservationists,
we would do well to remember
that the thing to which we naturally cling
is mostly a figment of skewed reminiscence;

that our own constitutions
would likely wilt beneath the weight
of its actual ancient burden;
and that its primary purpose
is to give us wisdom and courage
to move forward, not to seduce us,
siren-like, to wistfully turn back.
 
Crystal Springs Campground, Kelso, TN

© 2015 Todd Jenkins

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