June 26th 2015—America Between Two Songs: A Poem

A joyous host assembled there

Before the solemn, solemnities of Roman Columns

Our national life on display

Lives, marriages, to be judged by the 9

            Judged, worthy

            Judged normal

            Part of the fabric of America

One of the stars on that flag.

They sang

            Oh say can you see by the dawns early light,

            What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming,

            Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,

            O’re the ramparts were watched, were so gallantly streaming?

They sang themselves

            Into our national life

Oh say does that star-spangled banner yet wave?

            O’re the land of the free, the home of the brave.

            They sang us step-by-step forward through

Jiggery-Pokery and Real Apple Sauce and other word salad by Scalia

And decades of

            Mean spirited ballot measures

Through

            Matthew Shepherd and Stonewall

Through

            Harvey Milk and closet doors

They patiently sang us through step by step to their humanity and citizenship rights

They gave proof to the night that our flag was still there.

            Yet the joy was mixed with gentle sadness

Aware of other flags

            Stars and bars

Aware of the real and experienced limits of Equality

Aware of the persistence of hate.

            Be ready for the backlash!

                        Love wins,

                                    But hate does a meeeeaaaan second place.

Aware of those 9

9 bible study attendees, 6 women, 3 men—some sort of mirror to the Supreme Court.

            Still mourning those 9

            Remembering the police lights blue and red glare

            Shots fired in there

In their sanctuary

            Does the star-spangled banner yet wave?

            O’re the land of the free and the home of the brave?

O’re a land chained to our past

A land laden by

            White supremacy,

            Selective blindness,

            Cherry picked memories.

            To this, Reverend President,

Had Church today.

Went all in today.

            The President of the United States of America talked about Grace.

            The President of the United States of America Sang about Grace.

Sang us through

Through the death dealing whitecaps

Of our national life.

            Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me

He sang

            I once was lost, but now I’m found, was blind but now I see

May it be so Dear LORD

May it be

Be that blindness and amnesia

The roughshod-four-wheel-drive-snow-tire-triple-diamond-trip,

Through dangers, toils, and snares

We have already come,

            Finds us on higher ground

            May we be led home.

Home to one nation, indivisible.

Home to all humans created equal.

Home to unalienable rights.

Home to life.

Home to liberty.

Home to the pursuit of happiness.

            That a home and a country should leave us no more.

Where we all shall stand

Where the Star spangled banner yet waves

O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.