Poet's Ramble

Poetry can be as simple as a four-line revelation hastily scrawled on the back of your phone bill. Poets ask for trouble if they have anything important to say, and the best ones slog through plenty of it. Poems are the instant coffee in your spoon that you chew on without adding water. I am a poet, and this is my story.

Friday, July 21, 2006

Patriot Song

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Patriot Song
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by Job Conger
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . written 3:55 pm, Wednesday, July 18, 2006

. . . . . . Here's to the good of all citizens,
. . . . . . to laws justly made and enforced,
. . . . . . to everyone's not-faith and faith,
. . . . . . and neither state-endorsed.

. . . . . . A toast to our land's equal rights,
. . . . . . to the promise of freedom from hate,
. . . . . . to each person's inalienable freedom from love,
. . . . . . to the vigor of sincere debate.

. . . . . . Here's to each day, working hard,
. . . . . . satisfied and content at day's end,
. . . . . . to fullfilment of good deeds rewarded,
. . . . . . and the unwavering trust of a friend.

. . . . . . Here's to fruits harvested gladly
. . . . . . and the sweat of those sharing the toil.
. . . . . . to the cosmic perfume of the fragrance of peace
. . . . . . in the whiff of the rain-sweetened soil.

. . . . . . Here's to our forefather patriots' pen,
. . . . . . to the farmers' sharp sod-busting plow,
. . . . . . to the hope their grand eloquent vision,
. . . . . . will continue to nourish us now.

. . . . . . To the dream that our babies a borning
. . . . . . will learn living right, shunning wrong,
. . . . . . out of many, one nation in allegiance to truth
. . . . . . may we harmonize in freedom's song.

- - - - - I had intended to share this poem during Poets & Writers Linterary Forum's open mic at IMO's Pizza July 19, but decided not to drive out when a near-calamitous thunderstorm rolled through town about 5:30. So I'll recite it next time. And if you're not attending a witch burning or ice cream social (yes, we are a bi-polar nation) please join the fun August 2, 7p at 751 Durkin Drive, on Springfield's coolie cosmo -- better make that cooly cosmo -- west side.

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