Independence Day 2019

243rd Anniversary 

The crowd gathers

on this eve of independence,

Citizens of all backgrounds 

collectively waxing patriotic ...

It’s the typical sea

of red, white, and blue

shirts and flags

waving in the breeze,

A fleeting moment 

of relief

from the rising heat

of division...

Faces turn upward 

towards a spacious sky 

watching beautiful lights

Explode loudly 

like cannons

Honoring the hard won

purple mountains, 

fruited plains, 

Ignoring inconvenient truths

of our “native land.”

For one night, we pretend...

Pretend this land 

is your land, my land

that we are Indivisible,

with liberty

and justice

for All. 

———

Photo credit: artist Felipe Galindo

https://www.thenation.com/article/american-dream/

——

Poem Inspired by the immigrant/refugee travesty at the Mexican-American border, separating families as punishment, traumatizing/abusing children, and countless other human rights violations. Enough. We must be better. I’m following past activists in using July 4th to bring awareness to injustices within our nation.