Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Fading Glory

My neighbors, who used to drape flags on patriotic occasions,
did not a one hang last year. Perhaps it's due to economic recession
The tide has ebbed. The thrill is gone.

I've never been one to wave a banner,
nor sport baseball cap to identify allegiance.
It's not my style to billboard beliefs
Sentimentality, I keep close to the hearth.

The old neighbor, who survived Omaha beach,
last Armistice Day, left standing stark his flag pole.
That's saying a lot, being he's a die hard Republican.
The mechanic espoused to the sheriff next door,
not only neglected to fly Old Glory,
but their Halloween crap still litters their lawn
a month after midget goblins disappeared from the porch.

In my town on the mid Atlantic,
far to the west of the White Cliffs of Dover
black birds are swarming by the hundreds of thousands.

Am I patriotic?
I do what I can... without throwing fits
Do I love my country?
I have and I will...right or wrong.

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