An American Dash
There are two dates on a headstone:
the date we’re born, and then the last.
And between them there’s a little dash
reflecting every day that’s passed.
A little dash that represents our life—
all the smiles, and all the tears,
all the minutes that turned into months,
and the months turned into years.
And of the many blessings we receive,
whether earned, or whether by birth,
to live that dash in America
is a gift of immeasurable worth.
Because nothing else we gain in life,
the cars, the house, the cash
will ever surpass the privilege
to live an American dash.
Now, we honor 250 years
of our beloved red, white and blue
for the pledge of allegiance we spoke as children
contains values we never outgrew.
We are fifty states united,
not linked by ropes or chains,
but by the proud red American blood
that courses through our veins.
And, as we live inside the liberty
sown from seeds that heroes planted,
it is up to every one of us
never to take our rights for granted.
For I might pity a countryman
without any conflict or plight,
for he holds nothing so sacred
for which he is willing to fight.
Yes, we have our differences,
and we may struggle to get along,
but, a tree’s roots grow in many directions,
and that’s what makes it strong.
Linda Ellis is a million-selling author/poet from Georgia. Her most famous work to date, “The Dash,” has traveled the world, been read to President of the United States, and even tattooed on major recording artists. She grew up in Florida and then lived in New York for several years. However, her southern roots kept calling her home so she settled in Georgia where she now lives. Her website is www.lindaellis.life
The dash as symbol of the life suggests a sprint or run. How quickly it can be over–always too quickly for some who are left behind. You expand its meaning, Linda, through three stanzas. But the strength of your poem with its expansive patriotism, stands in the quite different concluding image. “A tree’s roots grow in many directions, and that’s what makes it strong.”
I love the opening image of the dash! How clever. I walk through our old local cemetery often and linger over the dates, many from the 1800s, but “the dash” has never stood out to me before. It will from now on!