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America the Beautiful? (Free verse) by pink_punk_kisses87

He held his head high as she said no. She fell to her knees begging "not again". A kid goes hungry in a crack house. A mother cries over a lost son A boy tries to make it through another day. And a girl cries over a broken heart. Are these the things that make America great? Is this what we are proud to say is our heritage? Why do we never stop to think about how we treat each other? She laughed at the fat girl. He beat up the poor kids. A man kills a wife. A rapist walks free. The girl tried her hardest but wasn't pretty enough. A guy kills thousands in the name of religion and we had warnings. Is this what makes us proud? Is this what our ancestors envisioned America to be when they came here? I pledge allegiance to the wrong in the United States of America, And to the hatred for which it stands, One nation under the criminals, Distrusted, with apathy and injustice for all.

-=Dark_Angel=-, P.I. 13-Sep-02/3:15 PM
Yes! This is it! This is the most profound, beautiful, profound comment on America's society today that I have ever seen! How did you think of it, pink_punk_kisses87? It's such a through-and-through masterpiece that I hardly know where to begin... The title itself is sheer genius. Just imagine -- taking a popular catchphrase, "America the beautiful", and putting a question mark at the end!!! What better way to simultaneously subvert the reader's expectations and set the introspective, questioning tone for the rest of the piece?? Brilliant!

Now, before I continue, let me tell you that usually I have no sympathy for poemes that deal with "issues". But you have managed to capture the essence of suffering and needless brutality in a way that I had scarcely dreamt of! All the images -- so cliched, yet in your incredible hands, so fresh! A beaten woman - a hungry child - drugs - bereavement - depression - lost love. These, yes, these are the issues of the times. Oh wait, sorry. For a minute there I thought your poeme was good.




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