One Nation? Poem by Bill Upton
One Nation?
We call ourselves the 'United' States of America.
The name has stuck,
The meaning has not.
There are factions of this nation at war
With one another,
At odds with one another.
The lines of racism stretch longer
Than they did years ago.
Political parties fight one another every day
On the campaign stump,
In the House and in the Senate,
Brought to real life via the mainstream media.
The rich and the poor have never been so apart.
Police find themselves defending themselves
As much as they defend their communities.
Hollywood broke away from main street America years ago,
Its lifestyle in complete opposition
To the lifestyle of the homeland.
God has left-or has been forced to leave:
Schools,
Government,
Businesses,
Athletics,
Families,
America.
Probably He's better off than if He would have stayed.
Sexuality and marriage have multiplied and divided
Into prior unrecognizable formats.
Sacred and secular no longer communicate with one another-
At least not civilly.
English is close to becoming a second language
With the borders open for the world to waltz in
And demand squatters' rights.
'I pledge allegiance to the flag
Of the 'United' States of America.'
Sorry, you're too late.
We've dropped the word, 'United'.
It was not politically correct.
More important,
It was no longer true.
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
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4/23/2024 8:30:28 AM # 1.0.0.1119
I like the way you presented this. United seems like a bit of a stretch. By virtue of law we are one nation. But in truth we are not merely one people. Some of the things you bring up here (racism, the inability for compromise among political parties, and the forever widening gap between rich and poor) are deplorable. No doubt about that. But to play the advocated devil, in regard to our borders, isn't America a nation founded by squatters? Wasn't English a second language to this continents original inhabitants? And were we ever really United in the first place? Not all original 13 colonies wanted independence... It was passed by majority, not unanimously. And only a few short decades after that independence was secured, our country divided itself in two to fight one another. All that said, a poem that makes one think is a good poem. You've forced me to do so here. Nicely written sir. Thanks for sharing
Thanks, Mike for your well thought out and well written comments on my poem, One Nation. It does seem that on a daily basis we lose so much of the bonding agents that once created a more familial look to this nation. Our differences, sadly, are turning out to be more volatile than in past times. Our cruelty and indifference we show to opposing viewpoints these days is certainly enhanced by the invisible protection of hiding behind our words/opinions on the internet! Thanks again.