Healing Fields
Healing Fields

I was driving past a funeral home/memorial service and saw the flags. I’ve never seen it before! The wind was blowing and and all the flags were fluttering and against a bright afternoon sun, it looked really beautiful! That image was in my mind and I was determined to go back and take a few pictures of this scene with my very first SLR camera I just bought a few days ago.

When I finally managed to come back to the place a few days later, it was around 9pm at night but still bright enough for me to take (steal) a few shots. I said “steal” because I felt I was invading somewhat and I really didn’t want to disturb anything. I reviewed my pictures on the computer and found this one to strike a sad note with me. Surely, so many flags for so many fallen…unknown… 
I knew it was some kind of memorial but wasn’t sure exactly what it was. I started questioning the more I dwell on the picture..who is this for? Which war etc? You see, I was so determined to take the pictures first and find out what this is all about later. I found out that this is a flag tribute to all the US service members whose lives are lost in Iraq and Afganistan since Sep 11, 2001. It was there since 2005! Yet I have not noticed it before for 4 years! OK , I don’t drive that way often but surely in 4 years I would have at least once driven that way??!!?? In any case, I was really disappointed that I could never catch that scene again – the one I first saw from the car the first time round; it will remain in mind’s eye.
I was surprising thinking of this poem by W.B. Yeats
“Gratitude to the Unknown Instructors”
What they undertook to do
They brought to pass
All things hang like a drop of dew
Upon a blade of grass”