Sainted Martyrs and Forgotten Dead - Oct 29 2023

 

Sainted Martyrs and Forgotten Dead

Oct 29 2023



There are facts.

We even agree on some.

But these are a pile of sun-dried bones,

not the flesh and blood animal

roaring loudly

right now,

on its hind legs, towering over us

close enough to smell

its foul breath.

One truth

but different narratives,

and we are are prisoners to them.

So instead of bones

   —  half-buried

bleached white

marrow hollowed out  —

it’s wolverine vs bear;

a pack of hyenas, teeth-bared

darting in and out

at a wounded lioness.

While our backs are bent

under the weight of history,

the sorry litany

of grievance and resentment

injustice and oppression

ancestral memory.

The war stories

of sainted martyrs

and forgotten dead

we imbibed with mother's milk.

And any writer knows

the power of story.

Of morality plays

a hero's quest,

the triumph of the underdog;

whatever truth there was

corrupted

embellished

lost.

But half truths

sound plausible

are so are worse than lies.

While lies of omission

slip by

as if nothing was missed.

There are two sides

to every story

often more.

But we're at home

among our kind

and trust only ours.

Perhaps, in generations

   —  when the flesh has decomposed

and only bones are left  —

the truth may be known.

But I doubt this.

Because history is never final;

it's used, misused, forgotten,

weaponized

and selectively recalled.

And even when it does seem settled

   —  written in books, and taught in school  —

don't be fooled,

because there is no definite article

when it comes to this

the cherished narrative.

It's not the truth, but a truth;

and always the one

we wanted to hear.