Post your patriotic July 4th poetry in the comments section below.
by Usa W. Celebride
“The cement of this union is the heart-blood of every American.” —Thomas Jefferson
The 4th Day of July, America, hey, celebrates!
with fireworks and flags, the birth of these United States.
Traditional Americans sing patriotic songs,
have barbecues and picnics, maybe watch parades in throngs.
We are reminded of the Declaration from UK,
the document our fathers signed on Independence Day,
the basis on which we here now encase our government,
with words that thrill, “We hold these truths to be self-evident,”
“all…are created equal,” and “by their Creator” blessed
with these, “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”
Twelve score and one—the years are gone—I hope as many more
America will stay the course, from shore to sea-washed shore.
Usa W. Celebride is poet living in Washington State.
Our Republic
We must resist the neo-Monarchists,
the Oligarchs and Fascists to survive–
demand them to desist and cease their lists
of mediocrity and sameness. Strive,
achieve perfection of the Union, save
the binds that tie us to our God, our friends,
our kin, assimilate the stranger, pave
our common heritage in love, the ends
of which will light the world from high above.
We must defend the Constitution’s heft,
restore our schools, and give the Left a shove,
push back against the darkened tide, bereft
of decency or morals. All these things
which we must do require sacrifice.
We’ve little time to celebrate this day.
It’s time for us to jump into the fray.
Mr. Southerland, an excellent concluding couplet, your call to action.
America, the Free
The day of Independence,
That patriotic day!
We celebrate it yearly,
With luminous display,
And bells and games and picnics.
From sea to shining sea,
We celebrate our nation,
America, the free!
The colonists protested
And bravely took a stand,
But, still, the King of England
Ruled with a heavy hand.
Declaring independence
from George’s tyranny,
They gave us a new nation:
America, the free!
Today, we rightly honor
Those brave and stalwart men.
We live now with the freedom
That they envisioned then.
Our God has blessed our nation;
Let’s praise Him endlessly,
And celebrate, each summer,
America, the free!
Great work there, Father Poet!! The essence of Independence Day captured wonderfully!!!
Thank you, Will!
Awesome job! You are really good at this
Thank you, Sandy!
Great poem ! Hit the
Ail on the head.
Hit the nail on the head.reactions
Thank you, Jean Claire!
Awesome, Fr. Libby! You’re simply the BEST!!!
Dear Father Libby,
You are so gifted in many ways I know but I must tell you how much I am enjoying this gift of poetry that you share with us, it is good for the spirit and I pray you will continue to share with us this gift that Our Lord has entrusted to you for the good of us all. God bless you.
Beautifully done Father Libby. Can’t wait to see the next one.
Monika, Linda, Neil – thank you all very much!
O Liberty! You stand beside the sea
And lift your lamp to all humanity.
To kings and tyrants, you say “Nevermore!”,
And offer freedom here upon your shore.
But freedom is a tricky, two-edged sword
Whose slick misuse must never be ignored,
For freedom, exercised without restraint,
Gives rise to valid grievance and complaint.
The simple man seeks freedom from duress,
The overlord seeks freedom to oppress,
While business, crying “Freedom!”, may demand
The right to poison water, air and land.
Your blessings are secured, O Liberty,
When thoughtful laws protect your citizenry.
Although Mr. Celebride’s “The 4th Day of July, 2017” is a much shorter work than Dryden’s “Astraea Redux,” it falls in to that same category of verse, an occasional work in celebration of a public event. The first line open with a call out, “hey,” much in the manner of “Beowulf.” It is a poem more reminiscent of Longfellow, or secondarily Emerson, than of Whitman, Eliot, or Lowell. The poem is a fairly straightforward piece, like those expected, official verses poet laureates would compose. The interest of the poem lies in the condensed details chosen, the subtle use of alliteration, how Jefferson’s prose is brought into the iambic heptameters, and the final couplet, which plays off Lincoln (and Shakespeare indirectly), and transforms Katherine Lee Bates’ famous phrase, “from sea to shining sea,” to “from shore to sea-washed shore.”
For Charles Southerland —
As always a readable, musical poem of substance. Don’t ever stop writing these. You are a unique example of a finely honed creative spirit.