In the poem “At the Un-national Monument along the Canadian Border,” poet William Stafford describes a place that is so neglected that it is insignificant. Nothing monumental has ever occurred in the place because it has not seen anything drastic or tragic. It has never merited any attention. The place mentioned in this poem is forgotten, even ignored. The absence of any controversy makes the place negligible.
No war ever happened. Hence, no evidence of patriotism or nationalism has taken place here, either. It seems that in this world, only the places of strife and misery are considered significant, and only places of war can hold proof of valor. No soldier died here because it is not a battlefield and, thus, no monument for soldiers is found here, either. It is, therefore, a place that is unheroic and unpatriotic because there never was any occasion where patriotism could have been displayed at the spot.
In this day and age when wars catch the attention of people often, this place is irrelevant and of no consequence. Because of the occurrence of too many wars in this world, the significant places are those where these wars happen, and where soldiers offer their lives in the name of patriotism.
On the other hand, the place being referred to in this poem is a place of beauty. Peace and quiet reign in this place – peace and quiet being the opposite of war. As opposed to strife and disunity, even the grass in this place joins hands in unity. What is heroic here is the strong expanse of sky that protects the people in this place. The shielding sky, and not soldiers, protect and defend the people who live here.
The place is quiet. Even the birds fly silently. There is no sound of gunfire in this peaceful and quiet place. Also, birds fly in complete freedom, with their wings wide open. There is no need to hide and be afraid in this place of complete freedom. The air where these birds fly is pure, unlike the air hovering on battlefields that reek of the smell of gunpowder. This is a rare place. That is why it has remained unnoticed and unimportant in this day and age of wars.
