I will not repeat myself.
Here’s the facts
To our Great Society
(landmarked/idealized/contracted):
At the surprise landing,
A Compact occurred:
“Upon this Rock,
We crusaders constitute
Our Rights—new Commandments”—
Perpetually.
Destiny declared,
We pioneers pushed forth with:
A sizable Purchase/
A sovereign Doctrine/
A tearful Removal.
We claimed our Homestead—
Fatefully.
Resistance reared.
We revolutionaries roared,
Breaking these bothers into
Admissions of Submission:
Paris/Ghent/Versailles.
The aftermath—Addressed and Marshalled
Appropriately.
In the meantime,
We freemen, beyond Compromise,
Proclaimed Liberty abound—
Muted by Rebellious yells.
They judged and served Crow
Until our schools took it
Off the menu
And Civility made them eat it—
Deservedly.
The white, the rich, the old;
The black, the brown;
The women;
The poor;
The young
Amended this Course—
Patiently.
The lesson:
Study Law.
5 comments:
I love the sarcasm in this poem: the stern introduction; the playful reference to Jim Crow and the Civil Rights Movement; the final lesson. I can't help but read this poem with Stephen Colbert's voice. I have Jon Stewart's America (the Book: the Audiobook): A Citizen's Guide to Democracy on iTunes. Your poem reminds me of it, and if you haven't read or listened to it, it comes with my highest recommendations.
The title is also quite bold, and is fitting for how you open your poem, and the voice you carry throughout. This is it. This is HISTORY. The end. Deal with it.
I too am a big fan of the sarcasm. The eating Crow line actually made me chuckle like a lunatic...briefly. The subtle sarcasm in your poetry is something that I envy. Nice companion to Math. Is English next? Or the politically correct Language Arts?
I too chuckled at the "eating crow" line.
I especially like the final stanza because it rings through with so much truth...writing and amending laws to serve whatever purpose is seen fit.... And, this comes at the end of a history lesson...very nice.
Great use of sarcasm. A true voice seems to be emerging across your work.
The voice and tone in here are excellent. I can really see your style emerging here. You have a specific way in which you order and categorize your thoughts, which makes the reader stop and think, or at least digest what you have to say. The last two stanzas have a different flow and brings the poem nicely to an end.
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