Memorial Day Ocracoke

Memorial Day is here,
This is the place,
Memories spotted well alive,
Where recollections,
Refuse to die,
Ignoring the need for introspection,
They come to collide,
With the amnesia floating in our brains,
We are Ocracoke,
Geologically placed,
On history’s front lines,
Geographically based
To fight the War of 1812,
To lay between Blue and Gray’s frantic lines,
To wait with Coast Guard and Navy Ships for U-Boats to arrive,
Sand beneath our feet,
Wind beyond the dunes,
Marking the place,
Claiming the time,
Telling the story,
Whispering the names,
Affirming this moment,
Removed from frames,
In sandy atonement,
This is Ocracoke, we are Ocracoke.
We Are Memorial Day.

–Richard Bryant