A war for America
Ah, what do these youngers know?
even their lingo is avant-garde
hear me tell it then
there stood a time in a distant past
when men took chances
these were the times
when a nation bore two banners
that of the Federals and that of Confederates
Ah, what do these youngers know
ever rafter running from this narrative
what do they know of terminologies
secession and nullification
of Southern States
clamoring to be an independent nation
'twas in a distant past indeed
that men at Bull Run bleed
then again at Antietam
multitudinous battles spread over land
From Virginia to Georgia
Texas to Tennessee,
Carolinas duly integral
this was not just any other war
it was a war for America
what do these youngers know
about the love of nation
battles from beginning to end
that produced prodigious Men of History
and through their blood
a single banner was molded and raised
their agony etched honor
and in perilous times
an accord was reached
we see that sole banner today
flying high
kissing the sky
we know already
that its colors
is a story of courage
a story adduced in many ways
what do these youngers know?
of Gorge Gordon Meade
of George B. McClellan
of Thomas 'Stonewall' Jackson
of Robert E. Lee
of Ulysses S. Grant
many were men
who framed a nation
against all odds
and many were men
who rose again and again
to face the bayonet
yet, today
the very same banner
is burdened
by partisan Brouhaha!
In my blood
The dust from old books
the smell of cedar wood
disappear into words
dive bare through being
climb smooth limbs of ivy
ideas glow bright against
the midnight sky
warm gold staff
solid
ivory
sapphire
Cashmere drips from
Tattooed skin in taxi cabs
Beyond the filth of broken streets
back to my gentle home
Where color meets clarinet
Where tone slides past skin
within the weight of snow
I hear your laughter mix with Coltrane
My love unconditional
immortal our minds bend
to deep introspection
From minuscule moments of beauty
encounter a misty dream
Knowing locked between lines
and the red string of forgiveness
life is a downpour of emotion
and an endless mirage of tests
however difficult they may be
the beauty of life eventually
outweighs the trial.
