In honor of Independence Day, I’m digressing from my usual blog format to post a poem I recently wrote, inspired by buying a dozen red, white and blue star necklaces for my writers’ group friends. Have a Happy Fourth, everyone!
An American Poem
My sister was born on the fourth of July,
my sister, not I.
Not I, who delights in wearing
red, white, and blue earrings,
loudly singing the National Anthem
before every baseball game,
always standing, removing my cap.
A sign of respect, I say.
A sign of your age, say irreverent youth,
who do not yet know of independence.
Grandfather’s WWI coffin flag
was never a wall covering
in any college dorm,
and when Muriel
(I’ll never forget her name)
shinnied up the high school flag pole,
knife in hand, determined
to protest Vietnam,
I threw a rock to scare her.
Who knew
my aim would be so good
as to merit an escorted trip
from the gathering outside directly
to the principal’s office.
The first amendment, he said,
protected her rights.
Our soldiers protected mine, I replied,
and he smiled.
So I learned to use words
instead of rocks to
speak my patriotic peace,
writing letters to the editor,
always voting,
belting out the National Anthem
loud and proud,
then taking out my notebook
and penning the great American poem.
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So if you think you’re up on all things patriotic, try this quiz: http://games.toast.net/independence/