Foundation of the Late, Great America

 
America has youngish, but firm roots,
With bold, screaming eagles symbol of might,
A hodgepodge of different countries' cast offs,
Brought a new country to heretofore heights.

Bring to us your huddled, defeated souls,
It is here where they can find their reward,
The sky is not the limit where you go,
You're your own master, you play your own chord.

Being young, we have made a few mistakes,
Putting shackles on black, defenseless slaves,
The biggest mistakes for the world to see,
Those were bad days of which we had to pay.

The framework of accord was ripped away,
When our sons fought their fathers and brothers,
Ripped the country apart to free bound men,
A fledging great country's feet mired in clay.

While mending, there was trouble overseas,
We came together, all, and fought for peace,
Blood spilled in unnamed places as we died,
We toughed it out for freedom's jubilee.

War to end all wars won by men called Mac,
Wasn't long a bigger battle would call,
Took us by surprise, Pearl Harbor attacked,
Japan and Germany we beat them back.

We barely had time for a moment's breath,
A Vietnam jungle far away called,
This time we fought each other over here,
Riots in cities while GI's facing death.

Cut and ran, politicians favorite game,
That began America's great disgrace,
The ethics our fathers lived by was gone,
Replaced by hedonistic showoffs shame.

From that social upheaval we descend,
Racial prejudice on both sides rampant,
Streets, neighborhoods taken over by thugs,
It is a cutthroat world, even by friends.

A proud nation, stooped and confused these days,
We can put the blame on no one but US,
Enemies of the Republic, homegrown,
We are imploding, ourselves we betray.

Pure hate feeds the rhetoric on both sides,
I hate you only because you are rich,
And they hate me because I attend church.
We attack each other like Chuckey's Bride.

Oh, we are not our own worst enemy,
There are those in the world who wish us harm,
And unless we can all pull together,
It will not be too long we are not free.

©July 17, 2016 / Jerry Pat Bolton