unbidden voices

unbidden voices from the past will speak
of matters that we'd rather now forget
but to our hearts we always are in debt
and in our hearts we know best what we seek
in measures that are modern yet antique
the purpose that we urgently abet
will leave us with no measure of regret
we are not strong but neither are we weak
all that we are is measured by the lack
of anger and of pain in our regard
for who we were and what on earth we are
we cannot measure up to the huge stack
of history and all our tasks are hard
but still we know that we will reach the bar