We went to Madingley Cemetery today. It was probably one of the most beautiful cemeteries I have seen in a while. I loved Arlington when I went (minus the heat), and I loved Normandy when I went (although, I was dead beat by the end of the 8 hour tour), but this one has its own beauty. I think I came onto the cemetery already heavy with emotions.
Let me first say this: I am not a crier. One of my best friends didn't see me cry until sophomore year of college. However, in recent years have allowed myself to tap into my emotions and cry at times. And for some reason, last night I wanted to watch a movie that would make me cry, but didn't. Unable to purge those emotions, I walked into the cemetery with raw emotion waiting to surface. I walked alone through the rows of graves just thinking to myself.
One thought came to mind. Well, not just a thought, but a poem. I memorized it last year, but the words escaped me past the first stanza. But here it is:
It is so beautiful, and so overwhelming to me. It is as if the dead are saying, "Don't forget what we have laid down our lives for."
The second thought that came to mind was this:
As our professor, Dr. Martland, stated: these men were all around our age
I imagined all of my guy friends that I am close with, and even those that I am barely acquainted with, and the thought of them all filling a chunk of those graves was unbearable. I was looking at the graves of brothers, husbands, lovers, friends, sons. It was heartbreaking. War stole their lives. It reminded me of the scene in Remember the Titans where they run to Arlington Cemetery and Coach Boone gives a speech about hate. It made me wish that wars didn't happen. It's a tough place, because as a historian I love to study them. I find them fascinating. But they are heart wrenching as well. I sat there, in this beautiful memorial in honor of them and silently thanked them for their service.
May they rest in peace.
This would be an interesting experience, and the poem is so profound. I love it. I feel the same way as you do. I think war is fascinating, but I despise it at the same time. I remember reading my friend's history about the first time he got sent to the Korean War. It was on his eighteenth birthday. I can't even imagine what that would have been like. Interesting post. Good clip.
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