Celebrate
There is a great power in recognizing mistakes -and in this case America’s “mistakes” are evil, the awareness of which allows us to grow and change. We cannot bring awareness if we ignore, or blot out the dark chapters of our history. What better time than during a national holiday celebrating the birth of this country to reflect on the wrongs committed against others? This toddler nation, with only 250 years of history, has accomplished so much because of the technological boom, but there is still so much potential to be captured. Every American is not treated as equal, and many Americans are actively having their rights stripped from them each month. Imagine if we could bridge the gap between all walks of life and infuse our society with a system of values and laws that accurately reflected what each American needs. What greatness could we achieve that would propel us forward? That is the purpose of this poem, to draw attention to a dark and evil past while shedding light on all the potential our future has. It is aimed at the youth because they hold the fate of this nation in their hands.
Happy Fourth of July!
Celebrate young patriots,
A mighty nation birthed with determination.
The global superpower that toppled evil.
Celebrate young patriots,
A nation that massacred another-
Stole their land and gave them only a portion.
Celebrate young patriots,
The genocide of a continent’s occupants.
Celebrate young patriots,
Ships with tall sails and halls full-
Of humans hunted from their own homes.
Celebrate young patriots,
The slavers whip as it tears human flesh.
Celebrate young patriots,
A mighty nation bloodied by civil war-
Over the enslavement of people.
Celebrate young patriots,
A country segregated by melanin.
Celebrate young patriots,
Women whose rights are not theirs-
Whose bodies are legislated by men in cheap suits.
Celebrate young patriots,
A country whose DNA flows with evil ignored.
Celebrate! Celebrate! Celebrate!
Oh, young patriot, celebrate!
You are the future youth will remember.
Oh, young patriot, celebrate,
Never to forget-
The terrible and the great-
That is your fate.
Oh, young patriot, celebrate!
The power of the people to change their destiny-
To make those in power tremble with mighty fear.
Oh, young patriot, celebrate!
This nation is yours to shape for the better.
Join hands with those from different paths.
Oh, young patriot, celebrate!
The strength of each adventure –
A new string of DNA.
Oh, young patriot, celebrate!
That you are no more the sum of your past-
Then the choice of your present.
Oh, young patriot, celebrate!
A future filled with equality for all.
Or watch this mighty nation fall.