Happy Birthday, USA

This is a re-run from the early days of this blog, but still topical and seasonal.  Enjoy!

I pledge allegiance

to this sand and gravel road

that runs between the river and my house,

clumps of California poppies

rangy stalks of fragrant fennel

burgeoning fig trees

that grow wild

on the river bank.

 

I pledge allegiance

to the rhythm

of the spoken word

to cheap pens and notebooks

that welcome my untamed

first drafts,

subsequent scribbles

and finally the respectability

of punctuation.

 

I pledge allegiance

to wild dreams

and imaginings,

the strength of the human heart

and the power of universal mystery.

 

Happy 4thof July!

What do you pledge allegiance to?

4 thoughts on “Happy Birthday, USA

  1. I pledge allegiance to all the landscapes that ever sheltered me or called me with their views, critters, treats–Round Top, Sierra Nevada granite mountains, foothills covered in manzanita and mountain misery and blackberry, gooseberry, elderberry bushes, and snow and scree; Oregon Cascade mosquito swarms, elusive picas, marmots, and scary three Fools Peak; Gerresheim Germany and its Hexenstein, lebkuchen, brotchen, schnecke mit rosinen, St. Martin’s Day; Billy the dachshund–and to all those who have blessed me with their love, friendship, and loyalty over the years.

    It is unfashionable to be nationalistic, but I am grateful to live in a country that allows us all a voice, the right to protest, to be informed,

    Lovely poem, Nancy. Thanks for sharing it.

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