May 31, 2005

[1819 - Walt Whitman, poet, journalist, essayist, born in West Hills, New York]

[1889 - Johnstown, Pennsylvania, flood causes 2,300 deaths]

[1894 - Fred Allen (John Florence Sullivan), comedian, radio star, born in Cambridge, Massachusetts]

A Pilgrimage

Our Capitol with fine monuments abounds.
You come upon them just strolling around.
Some are temples, some are statues.
Most extol their object's virtues.

One you can visit that is not like that,
Stands like a stranger in the midst of heroes.
A stark black wall with names upon it.
Fifty-eight followed by three more zeros.

It marks the war that wasn't needed.
It commemorates the voice unheeded.
You will not visit without emotion,
Now, shed a tear for their devotion.

William's Whimsical Words:

Why?

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