Look back only for as long as you must,
Then go forward into the history you will make.
            –Alberto Rios
Â
No need to dwell in the past                          Â
those sights and soundsÂ
those stories behind you,
Â
collected memories of a thousand generationsÂ
are within you, inscribed in blood and in bone,
inspiration in your ears.
Â
Your birthright renews every breath:
         the song of Miriam at the Red Sea,
            the voice of thunder atop Mount Sinai.
Â
Only good passes throughÂ
   history’s intricate sieve, the most fine.
Yesterday’s remembered wrongs must cease, Â
Â
so, do good this day and tomorrow,
for at this moment, you areÂ
why those who came before ever lived.Â
Â
Go forward with all the strengthÂ
you need, with a passionate lightÂ
with a message that reaches for stars.Â
  Â
Go with the hope of heaven
with applause of ancestors
with radiant joy of grandchildren.
