Divided States
Families, friends, neighbors, communities,
living in the land of liberty.
A nation easy to divide,
fed by smears, seduced by lies.
Emotions worn like fragile sleeves,
hatred finds a place to breathe.
A sickness spreads, unseen but loud,
echoed through the media cloud.
Even when the facts aren’t true,
they comfort those who always knew.
We fracture more with every feud,
distrust becomes our daily mood.
Arrogance floats through the air,
ignorance tangled everywhere.
We elect with hope, then watch despair,
do they serve, or do they stare?
Freedom to vote, a hollow ring
when sides refuse to shift or swing.
You speak your mind, you risk the cost,
mocked, dismissed, your meaning lost.
We’re growing colder, more confined,
trapped in one-dimensional minds.
Opposition seen as threat,
truth becomes what we forget.
And when debate no longer lives,
hatred is the truth we give.
Copyright ©
James Chapman
|