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