Shove Those Memories Beneath Your Picket Fence

Yes, Memorial Day cometh. And like all things where ceremonies in the big cities (in this case New York) occur, there are little ceremonies occurring in the smaller respective Hicksvilles out there (the metaphorical one, not the one in Nassau county). Obligated to get as many photos as possible for a local Boy Scout troop, I went to one of these events. Once there, I was treated to everything you might expect --forcefully read speeches that lost their momentum from half-second pauses, an absentee mayor, a man in a halfhearted Uncle Sam makeup creating balloon swords that kids poked and slapped each other with that I REALLY wish dirty-minded people like myself did not see (think about it, kids thwacking each other with large purple- okay, glad you got it), a photographer who seemed to look like he barely knew what he was doing, halfhearted mutters of people who could no longer remember the Pledge of Allegiance, and children that tried to stay as far away from the epicenter of the event as possible so they could have fun. But at the same time, it was not a total loss. Old veterans mingled among the crowd in their full regalia reminding us of those who were there and have their stories to tell, the weather was also pristine, and there was free popcorn and cotton candy for all. Plus, there were some people that are into it; the whole scene, the laughter of children, and the fact that memories were here. All the same, though, this was obviously not my thing. If I don’t get troubled with prior obligations again, I think I’d rather celebrate the time with a Band of Brothers marathon, or a round of Axis and Allies with the buds, thanks.