PostPoems Be Artistic. Be Creative. Be Inspired!

I used to be proud to fly our American flag as from childhood I was taught

I used to fly our American flag without giving it a second thought.

But I see a divided country now…one that is quickly moving away from democracy 

and even though there are people out there who see things differently than me

in my mind something has changed…

I don’ t believe our country adheres to the same values as it did before…

which saddens me and is the reason I don’t fly our flag anymore.

In our cabin between two bedrooms in a place of honor in the hall

a framed folded Unites States flag is hanging on the wall.

It was presented to our family after Deborah’s father died…

It is a reminder of our nations gratitude for his service…his sacrifice

and is a source of family pride.

This flag is folded 13 times..to represent the 13 original United States

and there is a different meaning in each fold the flag-folder creates.

When the 13th fold is completed…the stars end up on top…and what’s more

It’s in the triangular shape just like the hats George Washington’s soldiers wore…

I love this flag as it represents the country Deborah’s father help preserve…

I love what it meant to him…and to everyone who served.

This flag holds special meaning for our family…

it reminds me of a time when our leaders disagreed but were wise…

for they knew what keeps a democracy running is hard work and compromise.

So this is the flag I will continue to salute….until such a time as when…

the flag that represents America today…stands for democracy again.

We our blessed with many freedoms in America…

We may not always agree on what freedoms each of us select…

and where we often get into trouble is when our opposing views of freedom intersect.

We are free to choose our leaders…

even those who when trying to be a king…cause us suffering and shame…

and when this happens, because we were free to chose them…

we only have ourselves to blame. 

The press is free to report the news…as best they can…honestly…impartially…

but if they only report one side of the news…are the reporters really free?

We are free to worship any God…or no God..but where it gets confusing…

is when we’re told the only God we can worship…

is a God of someone else’s choosing.

We are free to bear arms across this land…but the number of innocents afflicted

make some of us think that right needs to be a little more restricted.

We are free to speak our minds…to protest peacefully…

to dissent…to disagree…

without the fear of reprisals from a government who sees the world so differently.

It seems the very freedoms we possess…have caused a seemingly unsolvable riddle

as it appears our freedom to choose has split our country somewhere down the middle.

And we are left to wonder if these two sides will ever get along…

when each side knows that they are right and the other side is wrong.

Still when it comes to our freedoms in America…as we count them every day

we must raise or voices in opposition…when we see those freedoms being stripped away.

Because freedom is a lot like love…it’s a gift…a blessing when given to you…or me

and like love, unless it’s nurtured…it becomes a faded memory.

And when we see our freedoms trampled…this is a burden we must take on…

So our children will be free to count their freedoms…

long after we are gone.

I grew up a white boy in suburban Ohio.  My parents both worked,

we had a nice house…I played on a little league team.

Yes, growing up in Ohio….I was sure we were living the American Dream.

Back then I thought the Dream was accessible to everyone in the country we live in….

It wasn’t until year laters I realized the American Dream was much easier for me

because of the color of my skin.

The roots of the American Dream can be found in our Declaration of Independence

right their in black and white it is expressed 

How everyone is created equal, all endowed with inalienable rights

that among these rights are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

It wasn’t until I was older…the hypocrisy I started seeing…

when I learned the man who wrote those inspiring words…

himself… owned human beings.

Nonetheless his uplifting words famously became his contribution 

to the independence of our country…and the cornerstone of our constitution.

In our constitution his words were interpreted to mean 

we will work as equals……through conflicts, controversies and strife….

so every person regardless of their background will have the freedom and opportunity 

to succeed and attain a better, richer, and fuller life.

But it has never really worked that way…say…for the Native Americans, 

people of color, if you are gay or lesbian or trans….

when people in power ignore our constitution…when they have other plans.

For now I know when they spoke of inalienable rights they were being disingenuous…

that the rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are delicate and tenuous.

That the constitution…which I thought was a guide to what this country dreamed to be

a road map that has provided my life with many an opportunity…

has not been as fair and just for people who do not look or worship or act like me.

For years their freedoms and opportunities have been dishonored and ignored

So much so that is seems…they don’ t have any!

so how can we call it the American Dream…

when it’s been an American Nightmare for so many.

There have been times while watching life from the different places I have stood…

that I have seen injustices….and have not acted as I should.

Times I knew something wasn’t right but still I stood by silently

Times when I did nothing because those injustices were not done to me.

Times when my silence was complicit…although I never could be blamed…

Times that left me saddened…confused…distressed…regretful and ashamed…

Leading to nights I could not sleep…because in my mind sad thoughts spun

of all the things I should have said…of all the things I should have done.

Perhaps I was surprised…bewildered…afraid…I cannot be exact…

but for whatever reason I lacked the courage to speak up…and the bravery to act.

But now that I am older…hopefully wiser…and more confident…I am inclined…

to speak out when I see injustices…having left that younger me behind.

No longer am I ashamed at my silence, my inability to act…instead…

I am ashamed of our president, our vice president…and the party that they head.

I am not ashamed to call myself an American…for that is who I will always be…

but I am ashamed to be an American in the America they see.

Their vision of America I will never join…in fact I shall publicly decry… 

To their hatred, abuse and indifference…never will I comply…

I will continue to speak out against these injustices…

no longer my feelings will I hide….

I’m not sure what good it will do

but I will sleep a little easier…

knowing I have tried

If you want to see the world the way it is…

not the way some people would like it to be…

stop into a bookstore and check out its diversity. 

There’s drama, horror, art, music, nature and history.

politics, religion, cooking, science, sports and mystery.

Any subject you want to read about…

the world…other people…yourself…

you can find a book about it somewhere on the shelf.

But that’s only half the story of a bookstore’s diversity.

The other half is all the people you are going to see.

From the moment in the morning when we unlock our front door

we see love in all its diversity filling up our store.

We see couples from across this country and 100 other different lands.

A mix of genders, sizes, shapes and colors…together holding hands.

We see families of all kinds in a blend of colors…all beautiful families I might add…

led by a man and woman, one man, one woman

grandparents…two mommies or two dads.

It makes me stop and smile every now and then

as I take a moment to thank the Gods above

for allowing me to be in a place with so diverse a love.

Beautiful, innocent, unrestrained love…

in the bookstore…improving and enhancing our space….

This is the American I love…

the America I wish everyone would embrace.