the blood of poets (excerpt)

by Charles Fredricks

 

Beautiful America,

is there one special thing

for you to claim the fame

your history belies

built on

ethnic cleansing and slavery

puritan passions and exported prisons

economic opportunity and opportunism

that the sun should never set

upon your sea to shining sea?

 

Is it the weapon,

so mighty

that hold’s the world transfixed

since that August day

that allows your minions

march the globe

while we remain unmolested

at home, until now

 

A lifetime past

the world in our hand

having proven we could destroy it

at will

we appeared to be generous

but as we supported liberty

with our left hand

we subverted her with our right

we’ve grown many more arms

on that side over time

 

“the world is a dangerous place,

I must be defended from tyrants,”

I’ve heard you repeatedly declare

Sweet friend

must I embarrass you by reminding

you’ve been sleeping with the enemy

for a great while now

these tyrants you profess to fear

are in fact your lovers?

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Charles Fredricks is a filmmaker of the forthcoming documentary ‘Surviving Peace’ proposing a new path for Israel and Palestine, KPFK LSB member, contributing editor to Change Links, author, and organizer for  Democratic Socialists of America, Los Angeles. His book of poetry, Songs To My Country, will be published some day, soon he thinks, assuming he can get around to it.

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