The Martyr of Mytown

Not long ago in Mytown, there was a martyr.
He suffered for a cause I do not know.
But how he suffered made all the difference.
He took no thought of his legacy;
He just stood for what was right and paid the price.
For what he suffered exactly, I cannot remember,
But I know I thought it important when I did.
 
It probably was not important to him that he be remembered,
But I decided to remember him.
At least one person would.
One person would stand by him;
No one should be completely abandoned.
So what if I do not remember what it was he lived for?
What matters is that I remember that he suffered for something.

It was a good thing, I am certain,

Although now and then I seem alone in my admiration.
I wonder if it was all worth it.
Some would think his sacrifice in vain.
No one knows what he did; no one feels his pain.
But I wonder if it matters in the greater view of things.

But is it right that I am the only one who remembers him?

But my thoughts of him are my tribute.
My rememberance of him, my sacrifice.
I am the standing monument to his victory.
We all need a monument.
I admire him, but do I really want to be like him?
Will it even matter that I remember him?
How does he benefit and how do I?

You are right; who is the Martyr of Mytown
That we should remember him?
Mytown is too close for someone great to come from there.
Let us forget the Martyr of Mytown;
Let someone else remember him.
It is impossible for something of great value to happen here.
It is too recent to be important to us.
 
Too new to be history, too old to be current,
Let it go. It is not our fight anyway,
Moreover, it is not our business.
It is not good to follow speculation and rumor, for it serves no purpose.
In fact, I am certain, there was no martyr in Mytown.
 

July 31, 1999

Christopher Ian Matt