Notes About The Poem
I wrote this for a regional magazine, The Ozarkian Hillcrofter, in honor of America's 250th birthday.
America’s Lasting Love Affair
After flags are posted and banners hung
After floats and bands parade the streets
After the singing and pledges sworn
After family members, friends, and neighbors gather in backyards or on the shores
After the speeches and fireworks
After Americans celebrate their love of country
Let us ponder what was before.
Before “all men are created equal,”
Before “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,”
There was “no taxation without representation.”
Before passionate men dumped tea into the sea,
Before they stood up against a king’s blind arrogance and ego,
Before colonial citizens lay dead on the land,
Troops arrived with weapons in hand.
Before this country was legally a nation,
Before founding fathers wrote the Constitution
Before patriots swore allegiance to a “more perfect union.”
They remembered their Creator, and
Pledged life and property one to another.
After two hundred-fifty years,
After numerous challenges to the laws of the land,
After wars, foreign and domestic,
After leaders, both grand and foul,
After bouts civic unrest and violence-
For two hundred-fifty years,
Patriots, devoted to the higher good,
Rose to the cause divine- answered the call.
Strove to maintain the core principles of our laws.
Lovingly pointed out our national flaws.
Stood up for those in need.
Valued the service of others for our safety.
Participated in civic duty.
Respected the ideals behind our national emblems
Fought for the unalienable rights of all.
American patriotism is a messy love affair.
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