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| (Image by Paul Whiting) |
The inspiration for the prose below is originally from a May 28th, 2012 post quote titled, "My Writing About IAVA's National Moment Of Silence" (please see below) that is from my "For The Year 2012 — My Posting Sabbatical, Part 1" post, which was published on my "Small All White in the Forest" and "Poet, Artist and Philosopher" blogs; therefore, this post is 'looking back' at a post quote from 2012 and not a blog post.
The #GoSilent Campaign by IAVA
The image above is a screenshot of my smartphone alarm going off at 3:00 PM on Memorial Day, May 30th, 2022, to memorialize my participation in observing one minute of silence for "The #GoSilent Campaign" by the IAVA (Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America). And in the image you can see one of the many albums that I listened to over the weekend—of somber patriotic music—that is titled, "Memorial Day Parade: 40 Patriotic Songs" by American Music Experts on YouTube Music, which I started playing at 3:01 PM in order to represent the holiday wish "Have A Memorable Memorial Day."
The image above is a screenshot of my smartphone alarm going off at 3:00 PM on Memorial Day, May 29th, 2023, to memorialize my participation in observing one minute of silence for "The #GoSilent Campaign" by the IAVA (Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America). And in the image you can see one of the many albums that I listened to over the weekend—of solemn patriotic music—that is titled, "Memorial Day, The Best American Patriotic Songs & Marches: God Bless America, Star Spangled Banner, Taps, & More!" by Various Artists on YouTube Music, which I started playing at 3:01 PM in order to represent the holiday wish "Have A Memorable Memorial Day."
My Writing About How I Have Changed The Way That I Label My Blog Posts 'Updates' For Any Additional 'Updates' That I Write, After The First 'Update,' By Using A Simple Numbering System, Which Starts With The First 'Update' [October 24th, 2023 Update No. 7 (Originally From My Blog Post Titled, "I Am No Longer Being An Activist In The Same Way That I Was," Which Is On My "Poet, Artist and Philosopher" Blog)]:
I have changed the way I label the blog post 'updates' that I write because I oftentimes write more than one 'update' per day!
And in the past, I have labeled the second, third, fourth and fifth 'update' with the following extensions—on the days that I write more than 'update'—to differentiate any additional 'updates' from the first one, as follows:
[1st] Month Day, Year Update
[2nd] Month Day, Year Update—Continued
[3rd] Month Day, Year Update—Continued Further
[4th] Month Day, Year Update—Continued Further Some More
[5th] Month Day, Year Update—Continued Further Some More Than Before
However today, October 24th, 2023, I actually had more than five 'updates' to write, so I decided to change how I differentiate any additional 'updates,' from the first 'update,' by using a simple numbering system, which actually starts with the first 'update' that I write, as follows:
Month Day, Year Update No. 1
Month Day, Year Update No. 2
Month Day, Year Update No. 3
Month Day, Year Update No. 4
Month Day, Year Update No. 5
Month Day, Year Update No. 6
Month Day, Year Update No. 7
Therefore, that is why this 'update' is the seventh one for today! –Paul Whiting (written October 24th, 2023 and revised October 28th, 2023)
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My Writing About IAVA's National Moment Of Silence, A.K.A. "The #GoSilent Campaign" (for 2024) [May 27th, 2024 Update No. 2 (Originally From My Blog Post Titled, "I Am No Longer Being An Activist In The Same Way That I Was," Which Is On My "Poet, Artist and Philosopher" Blog)]:
For Memorial Day 2024, I participated in the IAVA (Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America) national moment of silence "as our troops continue to be deployed in harm’s way to places like Iraq and Syria," which is why "this is also a good time to remind ourselves of those who keep stepping up and volunteering to risk their lives in order to keep us safe here at home every day." That is why I made the pledge to "#GoSilent with [IAVA] today at 3:00 PM local time to make sure that the sacrifice of the fallen is not forgotten, and to help us remind America of the true meaning behind Memorial Day." And I also made a donation to the IAVA (Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America) in order to show my support for IAVA's #GoSilent Campaign and for our U.S. Veterans. –Paul Whiting (May 27th, 2024)
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The image above is a screenshot of my smartphone alarm going off at 3:00 PM on Memorial Day, May 27th, 2024, to memorialize my participation in observing one minute of silence for "The #GoSilent Campaign" by the IAVA (Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America). And in the image you can see one of the many albums that I listened to over the weekend—of solemn patriotic music—that is titled, "Memorial Day Music" by Pianissimo Brothers on YouTube Music, which I started playing at 3:01 PM in order to represent the holiday wish "Have A Memorable Memorial Day."
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On Memorial Day, at 3:00 PM local time,
#GoSilent for the IAVA (Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America) national moment of silence.
-Paul Whiting
(a.k.a., A Creative Writer)
"I maybe say too much about how life really is!"
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My Writing About IAVA's National Moment Of Silence, A.K.A. "The #GoSilent Campaign (for 2012): For Memorial Day 2012, I participated in the IAVA (Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America) national moment of silence for the all of Americans who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan since September 11th, 2001, in order to remember and honor their lives, their legacies and their last full measure of devotion for our country. And I also listened to patriotic music that celebrates the heroic sacrifice of all the men and women in the United States Military (both past and present), whose selfless dedication made it possible for American to become free and to remain free! –Paul Whiting (written May 28th, 2012, revised May 30th, 2022, revised July 19th, 2022, revised January 31st, 2023 and revised May 29th, 2023)
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My Writing About IAVA's National Moment Of Silence, A.K.A. "The #GoSilent Campaign" (for 2022) [May 30th, 2022 Update—Continued (Originally From My Blog Post Titled, "I Am No Longer Being An Activist In The Same Way That I Was," Which Is On My "Poet, Artist and Philosopher" Blog)]:
For Memorial Day 2022, I participated in the IAVA (Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America) national moment of silence for those "who made the ultimate sacrifice, including those we have lost due to their exposures to toxic chemicals while serving our great country" in order to remember and honor their lives, their legacies and their last full measure of devotion for our country.
And I also showed my support for the "Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act," or the PACT Act (H.R. 3967), which is "a culmination of years of work by national veterans groups, to finally establish that if a veteran has suffered an injury from toxic exposures like from burn pits during their deployments, they will be granted disability and healthcare benefits by the VA [Veterans Administration]."
And so, I sent letters to my Senators, via the IAVA website, urging them to support passing this critical legislation ASAP. And, after I sent those letters to my Senators, I also made a donation to Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) in order to show my support for IAVA's #GoSilent Campaign and for our U.S. Veterans!
–Paul Whiting (written May 30th, 2022, revised May 31st, 2022, revised July 19th, 2022, revised December 27th, 2022, revised January 31st, 2023, revised March 10th, 2023, revised May 26th, 2023, revised May 29th, 2023, revised September 10th, 2023 and revised May 27th, 2024)
[I feel like I need to clarify why there are so many 'revised dates' on this 'my writing,' just like there are often times so many 'revised dates' on other 'my writings' similar to this one! You see, I really try to keep my writing consistent as possible across all of my blogs. Therefore, as I am writing, I try to use the same phraseology wherever possible with regard to similar types of my writing so that, when I am editing my writing, I can change all of the similar writing at the same time and in the same way! Thus, a lot of the revisions indicated above, after my name (–Paul Whiting), and shown right after the original 'written date,' are often times due to these aforementioned consistent-writing revisions.]
For Memorial Day 2022, I participated in the IAVA (Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America) national moment of silence for those "who made the ultimate sacrifice, including those we have lost due to their exposures to toxic chemicals while serving our great country" in order to remember and honor their lives, their legacies and their last full measure of devotion for our country.
And I also showed my support for the "Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act," or the PACT Act (H.R. 3967), which is "a culmination of years of work by national veterans groups, to finally establish that if a veteran has suffered an injury from toxic exposures like from burn pits during their deployments, they will be granted disability and healthcare benefits by the VA [Veterans Administration]."
And so, I sent letters to my Senators, via the IAVA website, urging them to support passing this critical legislation ASAP. And, after I sent those letters to my Senators, I also made a donation to Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) in order to show my support for IAVA's #GoSilent Campaign and for our U.S. Veterans!
–Paul Whiting (written May 30th, 2022, revised May 31st, 2022, revised July 19th, 2022, revised December 27th, 2022, revised January 31st, 2023, revised March 10th, 2023, revised May 26th, 2023, revised May 29th, 2023, revised September 10th, 2023 and revised May 27th, 2024)
[I feel like I need to clarify why there are so many 'revised dates' on this 'my writing,' just like there are often times so many 'revised dates' on other 'my writings' similar to this one! You see, I really try to keep my writing consistent as possible across all of my blogs. Therefore, as I am writing, I try to use the same phraseology wherever possible with regard to similar types of my writing so that, when I am editing my writing, I can change all of the similar writing at the same time and in the same way! Thus, a lot of the revisions indicated above, after my name (–Paul Whiting), and shown right after the original 'written date,' are often times due to these aforementioned consistent-writing revisions.]
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| The #GoSilent Campaign |
The image above is a screenshot of my smartphone alarm going off at 3:00 PM on Memorial Day, May 30th, 2022, to memorialize my participation in observing one minute of silence for "The #GoSilent Campaign" by the IAVA (Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America). And in the image you can see one of the many albums that I listened to over the weekend—of somber patriotic music—that is titled, "Memorial Day Parade: 40 Patriotic Songs" by American Music Experts on YouTube Music, which I started playing at 3:01 PM in order to represent the holiday wish "Have A Memorable Memorial Day."
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My Writing About IAVA's National Moment Of Silence, A.K.A. "The #GoSilent Campaign" (for 2023) [May 29th, 2023 Update—Continued Further Some More Than Before, Like Never Before (Originally From My Blog Post Titled, "I Am No Longer Being An Activist In The Same Way That I Was," Which Is On My "Poet, Artist and Philosopher" Blog)]:
For Memorial Day 2023, I participated in the IAVA (Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America) national moment of silence "for our nation’s heroes who have made the ultimate sacrifice," including "those who lost their lives during the Global War on Terror (GWOT)," which is "a war that continues to be waged to this day," because the "GWOT has killed more than 7,000 U.S. troops across more than two decades – every one of them volunteers." And I also made a donation to the IAVA (Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America) in order to show my support for IAVA's #GoSilent Campaign and for our U.S. Veterans. –Paul Whiting (written May 29th, 2023 and revised May 27th, 2024)
For Memorial Day 2023, I participated in the IAVA (Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America) national moment of silence "for our nation’s heroes who have made the ultimate sacrifice," including "those who lost their lives during the Global War on Terror (GWOT)," which is "a war that continues to be waged to this day," because the "GWOT has killed more than 7,000 U.S. troops across more than two decades – every one of them volunteers." And I also made a donation to the IAVA (Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America) in order to show my support for IAVA's #GoSilent Campaign and for our U.S. Veterans. –Paul Whiting (written May 29th, 2023 and revised May 27th, 2024)
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| The #GoSilent Campaign |
The image above is a screenshot of my smartphone alarm going off at 3:00 PM on Memorial Day, May 29th, 2023, to memorialize my participation in observing one minute of silence for "The #GoSilent Campaign" by the IAVA (Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America). And in the image you can see one of the many albums that I listened to over the weekend—of solemn patriotic music—that is titled, "Memorial Day, The Best American Patriotic Songs & Marches: God Bless America, Star Spangled Banner, Taps, & More!" by Various Artists on YouTube Music, which I started playing at 3:01 PM in order to represent the holiday wish "Have A Memorable Memorial Day."
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My Writing About How I Have Changed The Way That I Label My Blog Posts 'Updates' For Any Additional 'Updates' That I Write, After The First 'Update,' By Using A Simple Numbering System, Which Starts With The First 'Update' [October 24th, 2023 Update No. 7 (Originally From My Blog Post Titled, "I Am No Longer Being An Activist In The Same Way That I Was," Which Is On My "Poet, Artist and Philosopher" Blog)]:
I have changed the way I label the blog post 'updates' that I write because I oftentimes write more than one 'update' per day!
And in the past, I have labeled the second, third, fourth and fifth 'update' with the following extensions—on the days that I write more than 'update'—to differentiate any additional 'updates' from the first one, as follows:
[1st] Month Day, Year Update
[2nd] Month Day, Year Update—Continued
[3rd] Month Day, Year Update—Continued Further
[4th] Month Day, Year Update—Continued Further Some More
[5th] Month Day, Year Update—Continued Further Some More Than Before
However today, October 24th, 2023, I actually had more than five 'updates' to write, so I decided to change how I differentiate any additional 'updates,' from the first 'update,' by using a simple numbering system, which actually starts with the first 'update' that I write, as follows:
Month Day, Year Update No. 1
Month Day, Year Update No. 2
Month Day, Year Update No. 3
Month Day, Year Update No. 4
Month Day, Year Update No. 5
Month Day, Year Update No. 6
Month Day, Year Update No. 7
Therefore, that is why this 'update' is the seventh one for today! –Paul Whiting (written October 24th, 2023 and revised October 28th, 2023)
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My Writing About IAVA's National Moment Of Silence, A.K.A. "The #GoSilent Campaign" (for 2024) [May 27th, 2024 Update No. 2 (Originally From My Blog Post Titled, "I Am No Longer Being An Activist In The Same Way That I Was," Which Is On My "Poet, Artist and Philosopher" Blog)]:
For Memorial Day 2024, I participated in the IAVA (Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America) national moment of silence "as our troops continue to be deployed in harm’s way to places like Iraq and Syria," which is why "this is also a good time to remind ourselves of those who keep stepping up and volunteering to risk their lives in order to keep us safe here at home every day." That is why I made the pledge to "#GoSilent with [IAVA] today at 3:00 PM local time to make sure that the sacrifice of the fallen is not forgotten, and to help us remind America of the true meaning behind Memorial Day." And I also made a donation to the IAVA (Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America) in order to show my support for IAVA's #GoSilent Campaign and for our U.S. Veterans. –Paul Whiting (May 27th, 2024)
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| The #GoSilent Campaign |
The image above is a screenshot of my smartphone alarm going off at 3:00 PM on Memorial Day, May 27th, 2024, to memorialize my participation in observing one minute of silence for "The #GoSilent Campaign" by the IAVA (Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America). And in the image you can see one of the many albums that I listened to over the weekend—of solemn patriotic music—that is titled, "Memorial Day Music" by Pianissimo Brothers on YouTube Music, which I started playing at 3:01 PM in order to represent the holiday wish "Have A Memorable Memorial Day."
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My Writing Notes:
The reason that I wrote this prose can be summed up with the following statement: The inspiration for this prose is originally from a May 28th, 2012 post quote titled, "My Writing About IAVA's National Moment Of Silence" that is from my "For The Year 2012 — My Posting Sabbatical, Part 1" post, which was published on my "Small All White in the Forest" and "Poet, Artist and Philosopher" blogs and, like Memorial Day itself, it is looking back...
...to Memorial Day 2012 when, for the first time, "I participated in the IAVA (Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America) national moment of silence for the all of Americans who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan since September 11th, 2001 in order to remember and honor their lives, their legacies and their last full measure of devotion for our country."
And, ten years later, for Memorial Day 2022, this post is "in honor of America’s servicemembers who made the ultimate sacrifice, including those we have lost due to their exposures to toxic chemicals while serving our great country." And that is why I showed my support for the "Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act," or the PACT Act (H.R. 3967), which is "a culmination of years of work by national veterans groups, to finally establish that if a veteran has suffered an injury from toxic exposures like from burn pits during their deployments, they will be granted disability and healthcare benefits by the VA [Veterans Administration]." And so, I sent a letter to my Senators, via the IAVA website, urging them to support passing this critical legislation ASAP. And, after I sent those letter to my Senators, I also made a donation to the IAVA (Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America) in order to show my support for our U.S. Military Personnel.
And this prose was also published on my "Small All White in the Forest" blog (please see the hyperlink below for the blog), since I feel that the message in this prose applies to the message that I am trying to convey through "Small All White in the Forest."
This prose was written in Portland, Oregon.
-Paulee
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"#GOSILENT" 2022 from the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA):
This Memorial Day, remember to Honor the Fallen.
#GoSilent with IAVA at 3:00 PM local time.
This Memorial Day, IAVA will #GoSilent in honor of America’s servicemembers who made the ultimate sacrifice, including those we have lost due to their exposures to toxic chemicals while serving our great country, at 3PM local. Gather your friends and family across the country and pause with us for a national moment of silence to honor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice.
TAKE THE PLEDGE:
Commit to #GoSilent with IAVA on Memorial Day
JOIN US IN PAYING TRIBUTE:
Thank you for joining us to #GoSilent to honor the fallen this Memorial Day. IAVA’s annual #GoSilent campaign is about raising awareness and recognition for our nation’s heroes who have made the ultimate sacrifice, including those we have lost due to their exposures to toxic chemicals while serving our great country.
We encourage you to take the pledge to incorporate a moment of pause and recognition on May [30th] at 3PM local time and help spread the word to remind the nation about what this day truly represents. We developed this toolkit (https://iava.org/go-silent-social-media-kit) to support your efforts in paying tribute to our incredible veterans and their families on your personal and organizational social media channels.
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"#GOSILENT" 2023 from the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA):
This Memorial Day, remember to Honor the Fallen.
#GoSilent with IAVA at 3:00 PM local time.
This Memorial Day, at 3PM local time, IAVA will #GoSilent in honor of America’s servicemembers who made the ultimate sacrifice. Gather your friends and family across the country and pause with us for a national moment of silence to honor those who have sacrificed so much.
TAKE THE PLEDGE
Commit to #GoSilent with IAVA on Memorial Day
JOIN US IN PAYING TRIBUTE
Thank you for joining us to #GoSilent to honor the fallen this Memorial Day. IAVA’s annual #GoSilent campaign is about raising awareness and recognition for our nation’s heroes who have made the ultimate sacrifice.
This year IAVA especially wants to remind America of those who lost their lives during the Global War on Terror (GWOT). In a war that continues to be waged to this day, GWOT has killed more than 7,000 U.S. troops across more than two decades – every one of them volunteers.
We encourage you to take the pledge to incorporate a moment of pause and recognition on May 29th at 3PM local time and help spread the word to remind the nation about what this day truly represents. We developed this toolkit (https://iava.org/go-silent-social-media-kit) to support your efforts in paying tribute to our incredible veterans and their families on your personal and organizational social media channels.
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"#GOSILENT" 2024 from the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA):
This Memorial Day, remember to Honor the Fallen.
#GoSilent with IAVA at 3:00 PM local time.
This Memorial Day, at 3PM local time, IAVA will #GoSilent in honor of America’s servicemembers who made the ultimate sacrifice. Gather your friends and family across the country and pause with us for a national moment of silence to honor those who have sacrificed so much.
TAKE THE PLEDGE
Commit to #GoSilent with IAVA on Memorial Day
JOIN US IN PAYING TRIBUTE
Thank you for joining us to #GoSilent to honor the fallen this Memorial Day. IAVA’s annual #GoSilent campaign is about raising awareness and recognition for our nation’s heroes who have made the ultimate sacrifice.
This year IAVA especially wants to remind America of those who lost their lives during the Global War on Terror (GWOT). In a war that continues to be waged to this day, GWOT has killed more than 7,000 U.S. troops across more than two decades – every one of them volunteers.
We encourage you to take the pledge to incorporate a moment of pause and recognition on May 27th at 3PM local time and help spread the word to remind the nation about what this day truly represents. We developed this toolkit (https://iava.org/go-silent-social-media-kit) to support your efforts in paying tribute to our incredible veterans and their families on your personal and organizational social media channels.
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November 6th, 2024 Update No. 1 [My Writing About No Longer Being An 'Online Activist' In Any Way, Shape Or Form]: Due to Donald Trump winning the 2024 Presidential Election—and until further notice—I am no longer being an 'Online Activist' in any way, shape or form, which includes no longer signing petitions from political, social, environmental and charitable organizations, and no longer sending letters to my Representative and Senators in Congress, as well as no longer making donations to political, social, environmental and charitable causes. Full stop! I am also unsubscribing from any of the emails that I used to receive from political, social, environmental and charitable organizations. In fact, I am even cancelling all of my monthly political donations to the main Democratic fundraising and coordinating organizations, as well as to the USO (United Service Organizations), in addition to cancelling all of my monthly news organization subscriptions, or news organization donations, because I am absolutely terrified of this second Trump administration. And I fully expect that democracy in America as we know will be over! So, I am choosing to not engage in any 'activism' whatsoever—plus, I am not even sure that I will be exercising my 'civic duty' by voting in any upcoming elections because, as a (formerly) donating and a (potentially former) voting Democrat, I totally fear the retribution of President Donald J. Trump. Full stop! –Paul Whiting (written November 6th, 2024 and revised November 7th, 2024)
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November 6th, 2024 Update No. 1 [My Writing About No Longer Being An 'Online Activist' In Any Way, Shape Or Form]: Due to Donald Trump winning the 2024 Presidential Election—and until further notice—I am no longer being an 'Online Activist' in any way, shape or form, which includes no longer signing petitions from political, social, environmental and charitable organizations, and no longer sending letters to my Representative and Senators in Congress, as well as no longer making donations to political, social, environmental and charitable causes. Full stop! I am also unsubscribing from any of the emails that I used to receive from political, social, environmental and charitable organizations. In fact, I am even cancelling all of my monthly political donations to the main Democratic fundraising and coordinating organizations, as well as to the USO (United Service Organizations), in addition to cancelling all of my monthly news organization subscriptions, or news organization donations, because I am absolutely terrified of this second Trump administration. And I fully expect that democracy in America as we know will be over! So, I am choosing to not engage in any 'activism' whatsoever—plus, I am not even sure that I will be exercising my 'civic duty' by voting in any upcoming elections because, as a (formerly) donating and a (potentially former) voting Democrat, I totally fear the retribution of President Donald J. Trump. Full stop! –Paul Whiting (written November 6th, 2024 and revised November 7th, 2024)
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This "Paul Whiting — A Creative Writer" Post No. 238 was edited on November 7th, 2024.
"Poetry is using the fewest words possible in order to describe all that is possible to describe." –Paul Whiting [June 1st, 2022]