Unity
Columbus
discovers America. Luther
challenges Rome. Hitler invades Poland.
The tales
of Europe’s past Shout like the headlines of discarded
newspapers. Somewhere between the black and white print
Faces are left unseen and voices unheard. Where did they
go? 1945 How did we get here? Burning buildings, Shattered
lives, Unknowable futures. Not so long ago We swore this
would never Happen again. Didn’t we? Yet only two
decades have passed, and the clocks seem to be winding
backwards. Germany against England and France Enter Australians,
Soviets, Italians. Soon every flag is waving in the name
of something. When will this chess game Finally end? Who
will ultimately declare Checkmate? So much conflict For
a continent so small; This divided mosaic Each piece sullied
by broken glass And broken hearts Shoved into dark, dread-filled
basements Haunted by the echoes of Sirens. In the name
of God, In the name of freedom, In the name of unification,
What remains for us to fight In the name of? After all
these centuries of war In Europe, Finally we have exhausted
All justification. This will never Happen again. Peace.
Stability. Prosperity. This is what we seek But is it
attainable? Hitler, like Napoleon before him, Dreamt of
one European state; Neglected the individual faces And
voices; Wanted to rebuild the stone From a million eroded
sand particles. So where do we go from here? Like two
decades before It is time to end the destruction But the
price could not Be higher, And cooperation does not Come
naturally. To lose one piece Would be to lose them all.
With wary eyes And wary hearts We have witnessed the consequences
Of one trying to govern All. Hatred Devastation Death.
One man will not Be the death of all Europe. This will
not be The last headline. Now it is time to replace The
mistakes of the past With the hopes Of the future. Now
we must let all try to govern One. This divided mosaic
With its volatile timeline And angry headlines Where a
mere inch comprises The barrier between Languages Cultures
And people. Down with our barriers! Let us live As one;
A brilliant mosaic Full of fissures And harmony. 2008
Nearly sixty years And it has not Happened again. No wars
in the European Union, only Peace Stability Prosperity.
This is what we have achieved: One united Europe. Yet
we are not without Our scars The skeletons of Concentration
camps And the clarity Of memory Remind us of our past
and of our duty. Let us show the world that Peace is not
merely attainable But existent.
