Fright Of Birds - Independence Day Poem by Stan Petrovich

Because I love my country for its deep breadth,
First for the freedom of religion
(Or irreligion) and, in my case, the freedom of expression
And speech, I am harmed by those who in the majority
Take advantage,
Doing more harm than good.

The fireworks come at dusk,
For winged creatures, unexpectedly,
For a captive populace, ceremoniously;
Then come the tunes of glory,
Praising Land that is really only drawn borders,
As if somehow inevitable,
In both stature and in worship,
Primal falsehoods enduring.

The climax comes around ten-
Thousands of birds in terror,
Moving from trees to other trees,
Trembling on the watch of the parade of our feet,
Only for a now-meaningless English defeat.