the America I believed in ~ a poem

held a dream that died

like so many lines about love honor and cherish

wedded to notions of a dream

I loved my chimney

like I loved my jobs

like I loved my education

like I tried

you took every last tear from me

every last inch of my freedom

squeezed every last drop of my will

so I don’t anymore

packing up my house to say goodbye

a dream, deferred

land of leeches

left me nothing

~

and I love and honor and cherish my flag

rolling it up

to say goodbye

~