—Anonymous Photo
INDEPENDENCE DAY 2017
—Caschwa, Sacramento, CA
About 241 years ago
British colonists in America
Decided that they had had
About enough of a distant
King making all their decisions
These were grown men
Who cleared their own land
Of trees and Indian savages
Built their own houses, and
Wanted to make their own rules
No Goddamn king in Europe
Was going to tax them
And leave them with
Nothing
To show for it!
So along came the
Democratic experiment
No taxation without
Representation
The inalienable right to vote
A few old traditions hung on
Like waving and saluting banners
Rolling out the red carpet
The institution of slavery
Ritual transition of power
But now there was that freedom
For American men to
Make their own rules
And strictly enforce them
Like kings
And so the colonies became States
And the States became City-states
Warring among one another
To be that dominant top dog
With the powers of a king
Oh by the way, we now had a
Federal government
Cleverly divided
Into 3 different branches
Like a 3-seated teeter totter
Charged with honoring
The differences
Among the City-states
Recognizing one major taboo:
Don’t tread on my traffic laws
America 2017 brings us fake news
An obsolete Electoral College
A brilliant Constitution with
Dozens of impassioned Amendments
And millions of uneducated voters
Today, medieval creature comforts
Serve as our trusty vehicle to
Celebrate freedom, salute the colors
BBQ, and humiliate other people
Let’s all have some fun!!
_____________________
—Medusa, with thanks to Carl Schwartz (“Caschwa”) for his saucy poem today!