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Ode to America


Posted by Daniel Falkiner (via Australia)

O America!
The Land of the Free
Trade
Such a marvelous
and complicated creature
You are

and created

You were
born from pain and prejudice:
the fled oppressed carved up this land
and sunk new roots into the ancient soil,
oppressing in turn
the caretakers of old.

Instead of nibbling scones
and sipping tea
at the expense of the Empire
You made your Party
a Revolution.

Broken free
from the shackles of imperial rule
You grew
and conquered,
maturing into greatness
on the spine of the dark,
until the night awoke
and howled
against the greed
of the white sun.

Embroiled in the battle
for justice
You sacrificed Your sons
and deflowered Your daughters
so that the petals from Bentonville to Birmingham
wept blood
for a hundred years.

And You watched from the sidelines,
harvesting wealth from slaughter,
as the freedom-weary world beat itself
half to death.
But finally the islands were ignited
and Lend-Lease could not sate the desire
for vengeance;
for the wrath
of a God-blessed people.

And so from the smoking ruins
You rescued the world from its piteous self-destruction
and sewed the seeds
for a new era of Freedom:
Ich bin ein Berliner!

I have gazed upon your glory:
these desert meadows made blooming gleaming oases;
this creative cauldron of creeds, of minds, of bodies;
these brightest smiles of nature;
this architectural regency;
this cultural King Kong;
Your self-esteem;
Your Roman might;
Your mercy;
Your Dionysian rapture:
The Dream.

And I have gazed upon your horrors:
these desert meadows made hellish sucking holes;
this hissing boiling cauldron of distrust and prejudice;
these natural wonders exploited and ravaged;
these majestic constructions oiled with the sweat of the poor;
this soul-squashing singing behemoth;
Your suffering;
Your arrogant self-righteousness;
Your aggression;
Your endless greed:
The Nightmare.

O America!
I love you,
but you break my heart.

This entry was posted by Ben Myers, on Wednesday, May 03, 2006. You can leave your response.

“Ode to America”

  1. Blogger Ben Myers Says:
    2:54 PM  

    Thank you for your contribution, I enjoyed your prose and point of view. It's amazing what happens when realism hits poetry. Cheers.
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