4th of July parades
with flags a plenty
and reminders of who we are,
or are not.
In the morning paper,
an image of a parade float
with a military helmet,
a gun,
red, white, and blue ribbon,
pinned by a gold star
to a cross
seems wrong to me.
Symbols that elicit patriotism?
Not for me.
They elicit reminders
of wars that have gone wrong,
and on too long
in Korea, Vietnam,
Iraq, Afghanistan
and the young soldiers dead.
Countless civilians
(women, children, and elderly)
in distant lands
whose existence was not even
important enough,
nor expedient for our propaganda,
for us to count their passing.
A soldier's helmet,
a gun,
red, white, and blue ribbon
pinned by a gold star
to a cross.
Jesus,
that's messed up
and not my illusion.
with flags a plenty
and reminders of who we are,
or are not.
In the morning paper,
an image of a parade float
with a military helmet,
a gun,
red, white, and blue ribbon,
pinned by a gold star
to a cross
seems wrong to me.
Symbols that elicit patriotism?
Not for me.
They elicit reminders
of wars that have gone wrong,
and on too long
in Korea, Vietnam,
Iraq, Afghanistan
and the young soldiers dead.
Countless civilians
(women, children, and elderly)
in distant lands
whose existence was not even
important enough,
nor expedient for our propaganda,
for us to count their passing.
A soldier's helmet,
a gun,
red, white, and blue ribbon
pinned by a gold star
to a cross.
Jesus,
that's messed up
and not my illusion.
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