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La Bandera
“[The rattlesnake] never begins an attack, nor, when
once engaged, ever surrenders” —Benjamin Franklin
It was the feast of the Epiphany.
The mall was full, the air alive with flags
And musical with counter-revolution.
We saw the snake, never the first to strike,
The fir tree, firm as praying hands’ appeal
To heaven. Banners red and white and blue
With rows of stars, flexing our chieftain’s name.
Wind rolled them out like notes from trumpet’s throats.
And Nor when once engaged… Those stars and shades
She fought for once now wrapped her like a cloak,
Flung on her shoulders in a hero’s taunt.
Who is she, like an army in array?
The smoke of satan took her from our sight.
The gun recoiled to the coward’s shame.
Her spirit, with Old Glory, kept on coming.
March on, my soul, with might. And say her name.
.
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Monika Cooper is an American family woman.
Monika, so many things about this poem are excellent. To begin, I’m very glad you observe that January 6th is Epiphany. This day in 2021 was its own kind of manifestation. I love the epigraph by Benjamin Franklin, and the way you developed it as a metaphor in the poem. Your similes are very apt, as well: fir trees shaped like praying hands; stars like trumpet notes; and your allusion to the lover in the Song of Songs, showing Ashley as a lover of our nation. Your blank verse seems entirely appropriate for the martial theme and rhythm.
Thank you, Cynthia. Yes, January 6, 2021 was a manifestation, a clear and glorious proof of Trump’s landslide victory. The media and other enemies tried to change the meaning of the event but they don’t get the ultimate say.
Ashli Babbitt was just the first of many patriots who will be murdered by this corrupt and illegitimate government. Those others arrested in the January 6th protest are now political prisoners, held under concentration-camp conditions.
And our ACLU has not breathed a syllable of protest.
This corrupt and illegitimate government will not stop until something or someone stops them. Thank you for remembering the January 6 political prisoners. They are always in my thoughts.
I am not a fan of blank verse, but your striking images stir the soul in a beautiful way!
Thank you. I want my poem to bear witness to the beauty of that peaceful army of patriots.
“Who is she that cometh forth as the morning rising, fair as the moon, bright as the sun, terrible as an army set in array?”
Your answer to Song of Songs 6:9, Monika, is not Ashli Babbitt alone, but America. May Ashli’s soul rest in peace on this second anniversary of her death, but the poem doesn’t pronounce her name because there are others to be remembered, especially those still detained in miserable conditions and forgotten because of their alleged presence in the capitol.
The poem deftly works in a number of splendid allusions to American history and politics; thank you for this patriotically spirited treat to read.
Thank you, Margaret. God bless Ashli Babbitt and God bless America. And may the January 6th political prisoners be released speedily.
A fine memorial for Ashli Babbitt. Especially in the face of the establishment’s wall-to-wall vilification of her and the other January 6th protesters–now political prisoners, as Dr. Salemi noted. It’s hard to find the right words to plumb the depths of the injustice she and they have suffered, but we, of all people, are duty-bound to try.
Thank you, Adam. Yes, we have to try.
Thank you for this poem. I learned tonight that Ashli’s mother has been holding vigils outside DC Gitmo since August. Today she was arrested and has since been released for allegedly jaywalking.
Terrible that she was arrested: communism in America. Thank you for your comment.
Exquisite complexity in the guise of simplicity is how I might put it. Your words ring, and they ring true. How different events appear when one acknowledges the actual substance and is attentive to nuance. In some dim and unpredetermined future a monument will be erected in honor of Ashli.
Thank you. It was a glorious day and Ashli is an American hero.
I can’t think of a figure in recent history more worthy of memorializing than Ashli Babbit and this is a very moving tribute, filled with striking imagery. Eschewing rhyme until the very close adds extra impact to an already powerful last line. “Coward’s shame” and “say her name” are a nicely contrasting line endings too.
Ms Babbitt’s state-sanctioned murder was an appalling crime covered up by an illegitimate regime and the lies which continue to be spread (and believed, sadly) about her and the other January 6 protesters bring shame to a once proud country. I fear things must get worse before they get any better.
Thank you, Shaun! I’m glad you liked the end-rhyme.
I think some things will get even worse but other things are already getting better. We keep pressing forward.
Monika, this is a great one! It’s very moving, juxtaposing the image of the flag with all it represents against what happened that day. I love the reference to Song of Songs, and the “smoke of Satan” recalls the quote from Pope St. Paul VI that “the smoke of Satan has entered the temple of God.” As a side note, I love your bio saying that you’re an American family woman. We need more of you!
Here’s what I said for the other poem on the subject:
“The killing of Ashli Babbitt also shows their true colors. If she had been black, assuming she would even have been shot, there would have been all kinds of outcry against the government. The message that sends, loud and clear, is, “White lives don’t matter.” Not that the liberals give a damn about black lives or any other color either, given that guy who got arrested for writing “Black Unborn Lives Matter” in chalk outside an abortion clinic. Liberals are no better than Nazis… and then they have the gall to say that about us!”
Thank you, Joshua. It seemed to me that Ashli Babbitt, in her death, became identified with the flag of our nation. Became the banner she carried.
Yes, “the smoke of satan” phrase comes from Pope Paul VI. So many of the pictures of January 6 have smoke in them, making it look like something it wasn’t. And the media blew a lot of deception in our faces regarding the events.
It’s a privileged vocation (in a good way), being an American family woman. Thanks for the encouragement.