Dear Editor:

When life rolls by, you move from one job to another, one state to another, and before you know it, you have buried parts of who you are or who you were in good times and bad. It might be found in photographs, or pages of poems and other writings, but these remnants are all hidden from memory, or buried in boxes and someone else’s scrapbook.

Recently we began to unearth what has been stored for 25 years. I found pictures, old letters, election results, an article when I was president of a foundation, and a poem, “The Great Debate.” This is a poem published in 1978 that I don’t remember writing, but I recognize my inner voice. The editor kept my title, but he added his own: “A Poem Pertinent To The Present.”

The poem begins: “The world is breathing from its diaphragm — while its inhabitants debate — the price of peace.” In 1978 the U.S. was not at war. I wondered why the editor found the poem pertinent. I Googled all active wars in 1978. The results were interesting as many of these same countries are in active wars today, except the United States is also engaged today when we were not involved in 1978.

Research results for countries at war in 1978 were: Afghanistan-Russia (U.S. response under debate); Angola civil war; Cambodia-Vietnam war; Chadian civil war; Ethiopia-Somalia; Israel-Lebanon conflict; Lebanese civil war; Communist vs. Malaysia and Thailand; Guinea and Western Sahara; and Tanzania and Uganda. Here we are today — far deeper into wars and still debating the price of peace (Iran), while ignoring the much larger price of war. Perhaps this poem will always be “Pertinent To The Present.”

Jarryl Larson

Edgecomb