to where the boat sat righted our desire to hand on to the old after being worked on. ways of doing things and the As they walked, Joe asked, Lincoln Memorial represents our you remember tourists?” belief in our own righteousness in “Do Geoff grunted. the face of all we’ve done.” “Huh?” know,” Joe went on. the bridge?” asked “You “And who came here to see Geoff. “people the sights, the buildings, the bridge is pretty much “The monuments; all that gone, as you can see.” continued Geoff replied, with Joe. the represents “Yah.” “but the return of old memories. something.” “I remember, when relatives would said Geoff. does “Yes,” “what come in, I’d take them on a tour the river represent?” through the city.” river represents the “The Joe said, flood that carries it all away.” “Well,” “I remember one tour guide saying said Geoff. “Interesting.” “In that Arlington House represented all the time on the river, I’ve not the South, the Lincoln Memorial thought of it that way. But, I must represented the North and the be going.” bridge between them represented The men said there farewells the reuniting of the nation after and Geoff pushed off into the the civil war.” swollen waters over the graves of said Geoff. the honored dead, heroes of “Interesting.” “I may have heard the same thing, yesterday’s wars, wars of a time it’s hard to remember now.” as dead as they were, a past that said Joe, think it’s a could not be summoned by any “Well,” “I bit different now.” act of contrition. Geoff realized, sense.” Geoff said, as never before, just how dead “Makes with indifference. the past was. He could no more “Everything’s different now isn’t it?” atone for the past than he could now,” continued Joe. part the waters that had drowned “I Arlington House represents the world. “that
to where the boat sat righted after being worked on. As they walked, Joe asked, “Do you remember tourists?” “Huh?” Geoff grunted. “You know,” Joe went on. “people who came here to see the sights, the buildings, the monuments; all that “Yah.” Geoff replied, with the return of old memories. “I remember, when relatives would come in, I’d take them on a tour through the city.” “Well,” Joe said, “I remember one tour guide saying that Arlington House represented the South, the Lincoln Memorial represented the North and the bridge between them represented the reuniting of the nation after the civil war.” “Interesting.” said Geoff. “I may have heard the same thing, it’s hard to remember now.” “Well,” said Joe, “I think it’s a bit different now.” “Makes sense.” Geoff said, with indifference. “Everything’s different now isn’t it?” “I now,” continued Joe. “that Arlington House represents our desire to hand on to the old ways of doing things and the Lincoln Memorial represents our belief in our own righteousness in the face of all we’ve done.” “And the bridge?” asked Geoff. “The bridge is pretty much gone, as you can see.” continued Joe. “but the represents something.” “Yes,” said Geoff. “what does the river represent?” “The river represents the flood that carries it all away.” “Interesting.” said Geoff. “In all the time on the river, I’ve not thought of it that way. But, I must be going.” The men said there farewells and Geoff pushed off into the swollen waters over the graves of the honored dead, heroes of yesterday’s wars, wars of a time as dead as they were, a past that could not be summoned by any act of contrition. Geoff realized, as never before, just how dead the past was. He could no more atone for the past than he could part the waters that had drowned the world.
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