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?
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.
