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Memorial Day 2019, Presidio of San Francisco

By
Real Estate Agent with Compass CA DRE# 01215160

Monday, May 27, 2019 is Memorial Day. Join the Presidio Trust at the Presidio to honor those who have given their lives while in the armed services. Here's a link to activities on Monday.

Located at the top of the cemetery, high on the hill, one finds this poignant poem which I read often as I hike in the area. I usually re-post it every Memorial Day. I hope you find it as meaningful as I do.

 

The Young Dead Soldiers, by Archibald MacLeish

 

The young dead soldiers do not speak.

 

Nevertheless, they are heard in the still houses:

who has not heard them?

 

They have a silence that speaks for them at night

and when the clock counts.

 

They say: We were young. We have died.

Remember us.

 

They say: We have done what we could

but until it is finished it is not done.

 

They say: We have given our lives but until it is finished

no one can know what our lives gave.

 

They say: Our deaths are not ours: they are yours,

they will mean what you make them.

 

They say: Whether our lives and our deaths were for

peace and a new hope or for nothing we cannot say,

it is you who must say this.

 

We leave you our deaths. Give them their meaning.

 

We were young, they say. We have died; remember us.

 

Roy Kelley
Retired - Gaithersburg, MD

Thank you very much, Lottie, for sharing this special post for Memorial Day.

May 26, 2019 09:12 AM
Michael Jacobs
Pasadena, CA
Pasadena And Southern California 818.516.4393

Hello Lottie - and it's true many told as well as untold stories are often found high on a hill.  

May 26, 2019 09:27 AM
Ron and Alexandra Seigel
Napa Consultants - Carpinteria, CA
Luxury Real Estate Branding, Marketing & Strategy

Lottie,

What a lovely poem you shared with us, it well worth doing that annually.  A

May 26, 2019 11:46 AM
Lottie Kendall
Compass - San Francisco, CA
Helping make your real estate dreams a reality

Hi Ron and Alexandra Seigel - that poem speaks volumes to me. I can only hope we will make their sacrifice meaningful some day.

May 26, 2019 12:16 PM
Lottie Kendall
Compass - San Francisco, CA
Helping make your real estate dreams a reality

Very astute comment, Michael Jacobs - I agree with you.

May 26, 2019 12:17 PM
Lottie Kendall
Compass - San Francisco, CA
Helping make your real estate dreams a reality

Roy Kelley - I hope you found this post meaningful. Rarely do I head into the Memorial Day weekend thinking, "I must share this poem" but somehow I always do. It just feels right.

May 26, 2019 12:19 PM
Nina Hollander, Broker
Coldwell Banker Realty - Charlotte, NC
Your Greater Charlotte Realtor

HI Lottie... a wonderful poem... I'd not come across this one before. Thanks for sharing it. Also reminds one of just how often the fallen soldiers are really young and had all their lives ahead of them.

May 26, 2019 01:45 PM
Lottie Kendall
Compass - San Francisco, CA
Helping make your real estate dreams a reality

Hi Nina Hollander - I find the poem, "The Young Dead Soldiers" to be a haunting admonition to us. 

"They say: Whether our lives and our deaths were for

peace and a new hope or for nothing we cannot say,

it is you who must say this"

May 26, 2019 02:17 PM
George Souto
George Souto NMLS #65149 FHA, CHFA, VA Mortgages - Middletown, CT
Your Connecticut Mortgage Expert

Lottie I had not heard that poem before.  Thank you for sharing it.

May 26, 2019 02:30 PM
Lottie Kendall
Compass - San Francisco, CA
Helping make your real estate dreams a reality

Hello George Souto - I'm glad that poem is meaningful to you. 

May 26, 2019 02:34 PM
John Pusa
Glendale, CA

Lottie Kendall Great poem! Happy Memorial Day to you as well!

May 26, 2019 05:43 PM
Lottie Kendall
Compass - San Francisco, CA
Helping make your real estate dreams a reality

Thank you, John Pusa - I find it full of meaning. Wishing you well.

May 26, 2019 05:46 PM
Endre Barath, Jr.
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties - Beverly Hills, CA
Realtor - Los Angeles Home Sales 310.486.1002

Lottie, I loved this poem, never heard of it before, it is so meaningful... so glad you shared it with us, Endre

May 26, 2019 10:56 PM
Patricia Feager, MBA, CRS, GRI,MRP
DFW FINE PROPERTIES - Flower Mound, TX
Selling Homes Changing Lives

Lottie Kendall - The time is 1:46 a.m. I'm all alone. This is the truth. When I started to read the poem you shared, my music box (Tea for Two) started to play on its own and it played until I got to Michael Jacob's comment. It wasn't a haunting experience, just very peaceful. 

May 26, 2019 11:49 PM
Lottie Kendall
Compass - San Francisco, CA
Helping make your real estate dreams a reality

Good morning, Endre Barath, Jr. - I'm glad the poem was worth your time. It touches me.

May 27, 2019 06:14 AM
Lottie Kendall
Compass - San Francisco, CA
Helping make your real estate dreams a reality

Good morning, Patricia Feager, MBA, CRS, GRI,MRP - I hope you are sleeping soundly as I write this note. What a strange experience you had early this morning. 

May 27, 2019 06:17 AM
Grant Schneider
Performance Development Strategies - Armonk, NY
Your Coach Helping You Create Successful Outcomes

Good morning Lottie - good choice in the Archibald MacLeish poem.  The day is one to remember them above all.

May 29, 2019 05:46 AM
Lottie Kendall
Compass - San Francisco, CA
Helping make your real estate dreams a reality

Indeed, Grant Schneider - glad you found the "Young Dead Soldiers" poem meaningful.

May 29, 2019 07:45 AM