Home From Washington

I woke in the night with the wind pushing at the eaves, restless for some reason and a radio voice told me that the United States has lost its 4,000th soldier in Iraq and that was all they said and I wanted the radio man to say something about the close to a million Iraqi’s who have died and the wind pushed at my house and the BBC was instantly talking about cricket and golf and I lay there in my bed amid the sounds of the wind and thought of all those souls still circling the earth, for that’s what souls must do when they have been denied justice though you won’t hear the president say so and your local minister likely will say no such thing. You have to be some kind of stone age worshipper of rivers and trees to believe that the dead call for human rights with the night wind.

The newspaper said this morning that President Bush spends time each day reflecting on the loss of our American  soldiers. I should hope so. I will add that I hope he begs forgiveness for “Shock and Awe” and for the reckless destruction of Iraqi civilians.

As it says in The Book of Common Prayer:

“O Lord,in Thee I have trusted;

Let me never be confounded.”

Amen 

S.K.

Comments

[Zoe]

I love that prayer and Byrd's perfect setting of it in his Great Service often floats through my head.

[Stephen Kuusisto]

Hello Zoe: Thank you for reminding me about Byrd's setting of the prayer. One of the things I like about the Episcopalians is the "smells and bells" as your Mom's old pal Rebecca W. calls it. High ritual and prayers steeped with dignity--save that you have to belong to the gay friendly ultra-liberal Bishop Tutu branch of the Episcopal church. Me? I wan to wear a Tutu with Tutu onthe front!

Steve