Wednesday, June 01, 2005

An Alternative Memorial Day

Although it is a day late, I wrote this poem yesterday after musing on the possibility of an alternative concept of memorial day for us radicals.
Here goes:
This Memorial Day, We revolutionaries also have memories we must honor.
Remember all those who fought and died so that there might be a better world, remember the American, French, Russian, Cuban, and Mexican revolutions.
Remember those who fought in the spanish civil war who knew not how to use a gun, but tried anyway, to push back the specter of fascism for another minute, another hour, another day.
Remember those currently locked up and robbed of their rights by the very system they denounce: remember Mumia, remember the MOVE 9, remember Leonard Peltier, remember the Cuban 5, remember Sherman Austin, remember "Free", remember Lori Berenson, remember the countless heroes whose names I do not list here.
Remember those who still find the strength to challenge the system: remember the Zapatistas in Mexico, remember the Shining Path in Peru, remember the seperatists in Quebec, remember the Sandinistas in Nicaragua, remember the anarchists in spain.
And do not forget those who have not yet found hope: remember the boy chained to his workbench in the Reebok factory, remember the banana picker in Nicaragua, remember the coca-cola factory worker in Colombia , remember the family with no home but only mouths to feed. Remember the student who cannot pay for his books.
And we must not forget those who bring about this injustice. Remember NAFTA, remember the factory owners, remember the Israeli bulldozers, remember the politicians, remember the multinationals.
i beg of you
remember any of these
but please just remember
IN REVOLUTIONARY SOLIDARITY

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