Old Glory Yet Waves

When I see Old Glory wave I picture Lady Liberty beckoning to boatloads of refugees ~ not cattle rustlers hanging in effigy When I hear Taps playing I think of young soldiers who gave their lives for freedom ~ even as gunfire crackles in urban slums When I see fireworks on the Fourth I am grateful for our independence and for our growth as a nation ~ as for iniquities we do penance When I hear the National Anthem playing I stop what I'm doing and saying Remove my hat from my head, place hand over heart ~ Pray that my country not cleave apart