Macromere Press

Here at Macromere, we celebrated Memorial Day the old-fashioned way: by watching our neighbors raise the American flag outside their front door and stand before it with their hands held proudly over their hearts, John Philip Sousa pounding over their heads, their standard poodle wagging by their side….The American flag was upside-down, but since they didn’t notice, we decided not to point it out. 

Memorial Day got us thinking about all those who have passed on…especially the soldiers. We decided to get David Ewald, whose novel in stories, He Who Shall Remain Shameless, will be released later this summer, on the horn and ask his impression of this holiday.

Macromere: We noticed there aren’t any soldiers in He Who Shall Remain Shameless. Was this a conscious decision?

David: Unconscious, or, I suppose to be more accurate, subconscious. The story “Ai’dah” has something of a war theme going on in much of it, and a case could be made for “Aegeus” and maybe even “Leo”. But, no, ultimately I didn’t include any spirits of veterans or soldiers or anybody from that walk of life.

M: Are you tempted to now?

D: Seriously?

M: Not really.

D: Oh, good. You had me breaking out there for a moment.

M: We admit it’s a little late to add in another story—or mission, as the narrator calls them.

D: I’ll say.

M: So, what do you think is the best way to celebrate Memorial Day? Flying the flag and playing John Philip Sousa? Barbequing with friends in the park? What about—

D: Going to a cemetery, IMHO.

M: IMHO?

D: In my humble opinion.

M: Oh.

D: It doesn’t have to be Arlington, or a cemetery with even a single soldier’s headstone in it. It could just be a cemetery—any cemetery. Just go, and pick a headstone, and look at it, gather its details, and think, and imagine….

M: Or go online?

D: There’s always that option, too.

M: Thanks, David. We’ll let you go for now. Until next time….