The Iraq Memorial to Life

As we now cross the threshold in to the sixth year of the occupation of Iraq by American military forces
and a growing military presence in Afghanistan from a coalition of military powers
we mourn the inevitable and horrible reality that the toll of innocent lives will continue to grow
and that we, as Americans, are more than complicit, we are instrumental in this evil;
let us lament.
That is what this field of markers is, our lamentation,
our tears and cries of accountability.

As you gather today you also stand under the solstice sun,
you stand in relationship to the earth and its cycles
at a point where renewal is recognized.
We must plant these seeds of repentance
if we are to find new hope and fellowship in the world,
if we are to heal and reconcile our differences.

May the silence of this moment cry out for forgiveness.
May the silence of this moment echo with regret.
May the silence of this moment be a remembrance of each life lost.
May the silence of this moment be our prayer of reconciliation.

March 20, 2009