Oh! Virginia
Come travel back with me to Old Virginia
The namesake of Elizabeth: the Queen
No other state possesses such charisma...
Oh! Mother, of this nation... evergreen.
The Old Dominion, (fifth realm of the Crown),
Birthed many 'Declaration' signers here
As well as Presidents...heroes abound,
From battles fought for Freedom we endear.
The Commonwealth is full of history:
From Jamestown...Williamsburg...and even Poe;
Virginians' Honour and Integrity...
Are still the code for living--not just show.
The Blue Ridge, Country Ham, and Brunswick Stew...
Virginia! Oh! Virginia! I love you...
deborah burch©1.3.2017
Form: Sonnet
Categories:
signers, home, symbolism,
Form: Sonnet
Happiness is not a thing
That can be guaranteed.
Satisfaction is, we’re told
In words we hear or read.
But in that famous document
Declaring we were free,
Pursuit of happiness was writ,
With life and liberty.
Yet finding what we want
Has no relation to pursuing,
For joy’s elusive and the search
Might lead to our ungluing.
The signers of the Declaration
Surely were astute
When they didn’t grant us happiness,
But only its pursuit.
Categories:
signers, happiness,
Form: Rhyme
"Mr. President," I asked him,
"How do you think we've done
With this country that you left us
When your worthy race was run?"
"I'm amazed", he said, "at progress
In two hundred years and plus.
In many ways not the nation
You inherited from us.
I'm proud you've tried so hard to keep
The Constitution strong
And that history's proved we founders were
More often right than wrong".
I sighed and said, "We've failed sometimes."
He answered, "That is true,
But you have picked up the pieces
And kept on battling through.
If brave men don the mantle
And hold their standards high,
Then we signers will, in all truth say,
'It was worth the do or die'."
"Mr. President, we thank you
For this heritage we prize
And we hope that each new leader finds
Approval in your eyes."
"If he takes his charge with dignity,
Swears to give his very best,
You must give him time to prove himself
And pray that he is blest
With understanding of what's gone before
And insight in what's to be,
He'll bring honor to this nation,
Your sweet 'Land of Liberty'."
Categories:
signers, history, imagination,
Form: Rhyme
It’s the fourth of July and the stores are all open
Freedom to shop and to work if you care
It used to be nice when we all had it made
Grabbed up the kids and went to parades
Held hands to our hearts and thanked all the vets
Cheered all the bands all our neighbors we met
Knew the names of their kindred as well as our own
Cherished our ways of getting along
And everyone knew all the words to the song
Nothing for nothing but it seems to me
Something is missed in this land of the free
Back then we wanted to be all the same
Now cherishing differences seems all the game
Yet Ahmed O’Reilly’s an American name
And Finkelstein Finley will tell ye of fame
Breed’s Hill wasn’t fought by people all born here
And most of the signers of papers we awe
Lost all their possessions in fighting that war
So we could go shopping and treat this fine day
As if it was nothing and put it away
Categories:
signers, devotion, faith, friendship, native
Form: Epitaph