“We hold these truths to be self-evident… ”

On a glorious summer afternoon, once again, Elly and I mumble and grumble our way through our crumpets and tea. We talk about the damage caused by our shambling, rambling leader and his corrupt supporters. They are termites eating away at the foundations of our government.

But Elly and I are not total curmudgeons.

Elly puts on her glasses, peers at me, and says, “Now is the time to remember.” We talk about Ray Bradbury’s novel of 1953, “Fahrenheit 451” which then became a movie in 1966, with, for those of you who remember, Julie Christie and Oscar Werner, and directed by Francois Trauffaut. Fahreneit 451 is the temperature at which paper burns, which means, books.

The plot of the book: when the empire was crumbling and the culture of ideas, art, ethics, philosophy, religion was being destroyed by the burning of its books, the people of the old civilization fled to hide deep in the woods. In order to save their culture, each memorized the ratty copy of a book they had saved, and each was named the book they were memorizing. They were addressed as Moby Dick, Ulysses, 100 Years of Solitude, Anna Karenina, The Invisible Man, The Great Gatsby, Sula, Huckleberry Finn, The Fire Next Time… so many books walking along the river, mumbling to themselves to commit to memory the book they had saved from the great fire stoked by the hollow souls of their corrupt leader.

We need to remember now. And so, each of us shall be given a piece to remember from the “Constitution of the United States of America, 1787.” One shall be named “Amendment I:” She, he or they shall memorize, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

Another shall be named called “Amendment IV:” “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.”

Someone will be known as “Amendment VI” and memorize, “In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed… to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense.”

And there is “Amendment XIV” who learns to recite the whole of “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside… nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law… ”

The bonfires are vibrant and warm at night. People aren’t so tired because, unlike the whole books of “Fahrenheit 451,” the Constitution is short. Not hard to remember. Strong and clear. Harder to keep in practice.

When a country is in shambles, it will eventually turn around, as things do. It is then that the people of the woods will come out, return to the cities and the towns and recite in public squares for all of us to hear, the whole of “The Constitution.” On that we shall reset the bones of our country. That is why we must remember.

Daisy Broudy and Elly Donkin live in Amherst.