A Haiku - Duty
Duty beckons. It doesn't just call.
"Duty, Honor, Country"
Three words sum it up:
The U.S.M.A.* motto.
"Where is God?" you say.
Perhaps in "Duty"?
Boy Scouts pledge "Duty to God"
Perhaps in "Honor"?
Honor thy parents?
Honor one's heritage still?
Can one "honor" God?
Then there is "Country."
What is "Country" anymore?
"This land is my land"?
"Country" Red and Blue?
The red, white, and blue with stars?
Black and White, rainbow?
Others sneak in. Theirs?
An unfulfilled true vision?
A work in progress?
Make your own choices.
Duty to self and to God.
Honor above all.
Country shining through;
an example for mankind.
Not "right and wrong." Change!
_______
* Motto of the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY
.
Know it or not.....
Come to think of it, we all have a duties:
One to family, one to God, one to self,
one to country (to preserve it, correct it,
change it to make it even better.)
Duty is an almost holy four letter word.
Recognize our duty, or shirk it, and we
say something of how we treat Honor.
People receive honors from other people,
but the true Honor is what we ourselves
respect by the words and deeds which
make up our character.
The sum of the character of all Americans
is what the world, and we ourselves, will
recognize when any of us speak and think of
our Country.
Will it be a shining city set on a hill, or a
people mired in a pool of selfishness,
too proud pride, and materialism?
We make that choice daily, minute by minute.
Which will be the Country we can feel
honor-bound by a duty to protect, defend,
and preserve?
__________
Copyright 2014 Demas W. Jasper All rights reserved for texts & accompanying photos.
