On Patriotism
There is something wonderful about our flag
That stirs within me a desire to place a trembling hand upon my heart
And pledge allegiance to this country that,
For the sake of world peace, has given until it is almost dry,
Until the well is almost depleted
With just enough reserve to keep us free
What mockery is there, I wonder, in the minds of those
Who have come to escape persecution only to turn
And write graffiti on the hallowed walls
When they realize the streets of America are not paved with gold
They see and sometimes live in poverty and filth
And recognize the dumpsters overflowing with debris
Are not so different from what they have left behind
But cannot they, as well as those who were privileged
To be born here, raise their eyes to the mountains’ loftiness
And aspire to reach those heights,
Or see the desert in bloom with the stalwart saguaros
On duty as sentinels and aspire to stand as tall
And see the cactus parading their passionate flowers which cry
To the observer, admire me for my blossoms and
See past the thorns which I wear to protect my flowers
And aspire to be as beautiful as I
Cannot they see acre after acre of wheat fields straining to abandon
The confines of the land and dance in the gentle breeze
That stirs them to artistic endeavors of a different kind
Cannot they aspire to that freedom too
Everywhere we look, there is beauty, simple, gracious beauty,
Stark, overwhelming beauty, majestic, finite beauty;
And it is ours, our heritage, our freedom
I do not have self-pity for having less than others
For I have more than many and I have my country, my America,
My gift from the God who loves us enough to free us from
Oppression, who has given us perhaps too much freedom,
For at times, we seem to forget from whom the gifts have come!
I pray to him that I will always love the flag as a symbol of freedom,
Representing the grandest of all countries, America
Yes, there is something wonderful about our flag,
About our country, about our freedoms
I thank God for helping me know what they represent
I thank God for America
MEH (On Patriotism, revisited 2019)
Destined for Freedom is pleased to welcome Marilyn (aka MEH), one of the people the “Because I Said So” section of this blog was designed for. The daughter and granddaughter of immigrants, this octogenarian is a fierce patriot, a proud mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. (She is also a fan of Front Porch Sense.)
MEH has strong opinions about many topics … especially about America. A (now retired) successful business woman, MEH has been composing poetry for family and friends for several decades. As far as we know, On Patriotism (written several years ago and revisited and expanded for this blog) is her first on-line published piece.
