Stark Reality in Limestone

I looked up at the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument 

last Saturday morning and caught a glimpse of 

the State Capitol building a couple blocks to the west.

The landmark is ever-present in the daily lives

of Indy residents, often used as a way to help others

find their way around town. "It's just off the Circle

on Market Street, about a half block east of the Monument," 

would be the easiest way to describe the location 

of the little shop where I had breakfast.

Completed in 1901, the monument was erected to 

commemorate the sacrifices made by Hoosier veterans

of the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, 

the Mexican-American War, the Civil War, and the

Spanish-American War. 

One tends to take the presence of the figures 

for granted. The massed figures twisting and contorted

can be easily glossed over in passing, but I find them 

to be very graphic, especially during the winters.

It's then that the stark horrors of humans in combat

becomes as real to me as cold stone can depict.

I can almost hear the beating hearts of the snow-draped 

figures as they react to the screams, the weapons fire,

the pain of watching their friends die under their feet.

As a reminder of why wars are terrible, this

is not a pretty monument, easy to look at.

As an anti-war monument, it is beautiful.