Best Poems Written by Janet Mcdermott

I, Too, Am An American

I, too, am an American

I am the child
whose broken family once relied upon government hand-outs to eat

I am the teenager
who lost my way and slept in a car in a park
until strangers in a position to help, did;
alternative school, my diploma,
a chance

I am the soldier
who served my country honorably
and battled sexual harassment;
a combat veteran would not be challenged for his abuse of a woman
who really had no business serving with men anyway 

I am the survivor 
who fought my way through
grotesque, waving signs and hateful condemnation
in order to face a desperate choice on the other side

I am the wife and mother
who never regretted a career placed on hold to care for my family.
I began to look at this world in a whole new way
through the eyes of my children

I am the citizen
who marched in the streets with thousands of kindred spirits
conveying a message to power:
we are united against the harming of people and our planet,
and we will resist every attempt to undermine liberty

I, too, am an American

Copyright © Janet Mcdermott | Year Posted 2017