Reflections. Lincoln Memorial.
This is a reader submission.
by Stephen Winchell
thegreatergatsby@gmail.com
November 14, 2007
As a tourist to this city, I find myself positively inundated with places to visit, but none tickle my imagination so much as the Lincoln Memorial. It is a Mecca of sorts to Historical buffs like myself; the destination of a self-reflective pilgrimage. I remember, in my youth, being positively awed by Lincolns’ powerful presence, and at the shock-waves his memory has sent through the ages.
I decided to make my way to the monument at the break of dawn, when the sun hit the Reflecting Pool in the most perfect way. A few indefatigable joggers braved the crisp morning air as well, although their trajectory sent them straight past the Memorial. Typical, I reflected, the majesty of this edifice has become routine to them. It was a lesson in our worst human shortcoming; internally turning the beauty around us into humdrum convention.
After more careful reflection upon this surprise education, I returned to my schedule as planned. I approached Lincoln. I passed the very spot where Martin Luther King Jr. preached love, hope, and tolerance. I passed columns of pure Colorado limestone, itself a symbol of our tireless American enterprise. And then our eyes met; and I was alone with Abraham Lincoln in the budding twilight of the infant day.
I approached, overwhelmed by majesty. Here was the American I admired most. Surrounded by his Words and his Soul, I scanned over his all-too human visage. And, like so many others before me, I let my mind meander. I was lost in thought, and so many questions sprung to mind.
What would happen if Stone Lincoln sat up and turned alive?
Would Stone Lincoln be my best friend?
If Stone Lincoln was alive, and we were best friends, could I ride on his shoulders as he walked around town?
Could he crush coconuts in his bare hands if he was alive, and would he be able to breathe underwater?
I spent hours contemplating these possibilities. And, as the first wave of tourists hit this hallowed place, I retired myself to a nearby café for a cup of capputeano and an American Scone. There, I retrieved my Moleskine, and proceeded to draw a comic where Stone Lincoln fights a Dinosaur.
Stephen Winchell also illustrates “Phil.”
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