Did I really understand
When we marched in the long
Memorial Day parade,
That started at Saint Bonaventure
Church in South Fairmount,
And ended at the Baltimore
Avenue Cemetery in North
Fairmount, next door to my
Grandmother’s house–
What were we marching for?
I think not. We wore white
Clothing and carried little
American flags, and walked
The very long trek from
One place to another.
(Mind you, we had to walk
To St. Bonnie’s before the
Parade, to be there when it
Started. I know our little legs
Were aching and tired by the
Time we reached the memorial
Plaque in front of the cemetery,
Where all the names of the
Fallen from our neighborhood
Had been engraved onto the
Memorial plaque.
While we marched, my mother,
Aunts, and grandmother sold
Bouquets of flowers, both real
And artificial for 50 cents a bunch,
To those who drove past my
Grandmother’s house on their
Way to the gravesites at the top
Of the hill.
What stands out in my mind
Are all of us children shouting
“Flowers! Fifty cents a bunch!”
To all the potential customers
Who were visiting the cemetery.
I was a teenager before I really
grasped that all of my uncles
on both sides of the family
had served in World War II.
Sandra Lee Smith/In honor of
Memorial Day, May 28, 2018
