in the future
this day
this generation
will be
unimportant
as the shifting clouds
seen once
admired
and forgotten.
and maybe
10-year-olds
will listen
uninterested
as their
ancient history teacher
explains what things
called flags were
once
long ago.
she will say
flags were
scraps of cloth
tied to
a big stick
with thick rope
to symbolize
individual countries
and
the kids will
roll their eyes
thinking
the whole idea is
dumb. they will
ask
what's the point, anyway?
a stupid strip
of dyed cloth.
why did those
idiotic ancients
in year 2005
admire it so?
but how could they...
how could they know?
know why
we all had flags.
how could they see
what we saw?
they couldn't ...
couldn't know that
every time
we looked at
the stupid strip
of dyed cloth
we remembered
hundreds
no, thousands
of men and women
died.
died
so that
a 13-year-old girl
with a head full of dreams
could one day
stand under it
hand
over her heart
free.
those 10-year-olds
couldn't know
couldn't possibly know
that's the point
of the stupid strip
of dyed cloth.
