Apologies with Seeds
Tell me a story of young and wild
and free. An imaginary nation
splayed upon the seas.
Start with cataclysm, then the eagle,
then repeat. I guess we struck America
when nobody was looking.
Past and present circling, and tearing
at the seams, an olive seed bides slowly
waiting to release.
Not decorated halls, just makeshift
potpourri. I guess we struck America
when nobody was looking.
Three sisters grow together.
Support, protect and breathe.
Look closer, every person lives
between sea and shining sea.
This poem was written after a conversation about changing the way we teach history and the importance of “citizen” as a verb. It’s about the power (good and bad) of assumptions, colonialism, myth etc. It’s a bit more sing-song than usual, but I kept thinking about the line “I guess we struck America when nobody was looking.” Thought it made for a nice refrain.