Blogs by Aberjhani
Diverse Powers of Memory
9/10/2006 3:02:13 PM
Is the past what we make of it or what it makes of us?
Within the lives of different individuals and nations, memory functions in many diverse and powerful ways. For some, it is a Pandora’s Box, which, when opened, releases nightmares from the past that bring renewed fear to the present. For others, memory is like a treasure chest filled with gemstones of inspiring moments that rejuvenate hope and inspiration.
In the poem, ANGEL OF REMEMBRANCE: CANDLES FOR SEPTEMBER 11, 2001, I have attempted to place 9/11 within the context of history as a function of collective memory–– containing nightmares as well as inspiration. Both are subject to a metaphysical wave of continuity that eventually causes all material circumstances to “pass,” or evolve, ushering in new conditions, possibilities, and events. Both are also subject to human will in terms of what we choose to make of the past, whether we use it to further extend crippling trauma, or employ it to empower healing and attain achievement.
If the scope and power of memory appears to be a grand one as explored in Angel of Remembrance, it is something very different as presented in the poem GRANDMA IN THE CITY, and the essay, WITH LOVE, A LETTER FROM YESTERDAY TO THE PRESENT AND THE FUTURE. In the former, memory serves to reexamine and pay tribute to the valued influence of a beloved grandparent. In the latter, it acts as an agent for the retrieval and transformation of a deceased dream.
This being the eve of the fifth anniversary of 9/11, at this moment the power of memory is a major force with which many are grappling throughout the world.
Aberjhani
© 9/10/2006
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