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Independence Day, 2025
It’s so much more than red and white and blue
And stars that spangle banners flying high.
It’s something strong and stark and deep and true.
It burns with answers to the question why
Souls ache to slip a granite-fisted grip.
It’s something fierce that flickers far beyond
The brutish bent of tyrants keen to whip
The treasonous who break a fraying bond
With kings who toy with trust and trample prayers.
It’s something of the eagle—wild and bold—
Soaring where no yellow toady dares
On golden wings that blaze as they unfold.
It’s something set to sail a savage sea
With dreams that call the bravest to be free.
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Susan Jarvis Bryant is a poet originally from the U.K., now living on the Gulf Coast of Texas.
Susan, what a great poem to begin Independence Day. Told with wonderful feeling and aplomb with powerful images and heartfelt sentiments!
By the way, Susan, as you undoubtedly know, the American dream was initially fueled by British, Scottish, and Irish immigrants.
Roy, as for the American dream being initially fueled by British, Scottish, and Irish immigrants, I have felt the bond since my arrival. I have listened to the history of my husband and many of my friends, and this is where I belong… with my American family. I am one of you!
Roy, thank you very much for your kind comment.
Oh my goodness, thank you, Susan — this means even more coming from an England-born poet! I would love to hear you read it aloud. You’re a great poet and a great American patriot!
Yes, a wonderful poet Cynthia – but honestly? What would her sovereign, King George III make of this – and Kent (her home county and mine)? Sigh – yea, I’ve thought of emigrating to the USA myself …
There’s something about Kent — it produces great writers like Thomas Wyatt, Henry Wotton, John Whitworth, James Sale, and Susan Jarvis Bryant.
Ha ha ha!!! Thanks Joe – much appreciated: your appreciation of Kent!
James, I am smiling broadly at your comment. What would King George III make of this, indeed?! I like to think that I would have been one of those dodging the clutches of a mad monarch and fighting for liberty. Oh, what a treasonous woman I am!
… and Joe, there is something about Kent. The Garden of England still courses through my veins like the brackish English Channel on a spring day… but now it’s mixed with the searing sunshine of the wild coastal plains of Texas – a heady brew that leaves me drunk on all the pleasures this life has to offer. Sadly, I’m growing increasingly sober in these dark days of doom.
Cynthia, thank you so very much for your beautiful words. I am so happy to be here, and I have learned so much about the American culture straight from the hearts of those who have lived it and contributed to it. Moving here was a cultural shock and a huge learning curve that has broadened my mind and filled my heart with the wonder of this great land and why and how it came to be.
Excellent, as always. “Lift every heart to sing . . .”
Peter, thank you very much! “Lift every heart to sing . . .” indeed!
Great message and imagery. A soaring Susan classic.
Russel, it’s always lovely to hear from you. Thank you!
Susan, could there possibly be a ‘Francis Scott Key’ somewhere in your lineage? 🙂 Your powerful sonnet of American patriotism is a heartwarming tribute regardless of your heritage. Bless you –
Mark, what a beautiful thought. I have always loved the American anthem. I thoroughly appreciate your kind and inspiring comment. Thank you!
Brings a patriotic tear to my eye. God bless America!
I’m with you – God bless America! Thank you very much for reading and commenting.
Susan, this is a magnificently patriotic (and deceptively simple) poem to mark an Independence Day which makes many of us feel cautiously optimistic about the future. Only 14 lines but considerably deeper and more philosophical than “God Bless America.” Only you can tell us if this was a conscious choice, but I love the irony of using a British form (Shakespearian sonnet) as the vehicle for vaunting America’s freedom from the U.K. How interesting that you never once mention the words “America” or “USA.” We only get oblique flashes of images (the red and white and blue; the “spangle” in the banners) to confirm that this unspecific poem is in fact about America. I think the reason (correct me if I misread) is because this is not a poem about America so much as a poem about the promise of freedom which America invented. It’s that promise which is your subject. America is not the destination. It’s the best hope of reaching that destination.
Your poem is rich with the poetic devices we’ve come to associate with much of your work, though it is ever-so-slightly subdued in their usage. You have written many poems where you weaponize alliteration – but not here. You simply use it and assonance etc. to emphasize the message and the music of the poem. There is no satire here, no scathing anger. It’s subtle, but I perceive this as something of a meditative poem in which your speaker tries to capture in words that elusive definition or recipe for what it means to search out and live in freedom. The “It’s” more than this, and more than that, and something of this and something of that really hits both the complexity of the subject as well as the complexity of your feelings. How do you explain to someone how much the promise of America means? How do you find the right image for something that, to your speaker, seems almost ineffable?
I’m particularly moved by the fact that this poem – this ode in sonnet form to the American promise of freedom – has been written by a poet who has immigrated here and therefore knows and recognizes things that we who have always lived here take for granted. It is written by someone who has seen the alternatives and who knows what a loss of freedom truly means. To see America through your eyes is a privilege. I hope and pray this country can find its way back to soaring and that it can continue to be a beacon for your speaker’s dreams — and for all of us. I hope and pray that we can keep the promise to us and to the world that America has made.
Brian, your wonderfully spot-on observations have brought a tear to my eye. This was a tough poem to write during the present climate of political and cultural turmoil. To be openly proud of one’s country, if it doesn’t meet the criteria of the Global agenda, is a deed one is shamed for – which makes it even more important to understand the courage it took to stand up against oppression – the very reason the United States of America exists. And yes, I chose the Shakespearean sonnet purposely – most of the Founding Fathers were of English ancestry. They came from those of steely backbones brave enough to stand against tyranny in search of freedom. Yes, you are right when you say this poem is about the promise of freedom.
I am conscious that I have only been an American citizen for a short while. To become a citizen, I lived and breathed America and learned about a life I had only read about and seen on the TV screen. Being a part of it for a brief period of seven years was all I needed to know I belonged. I have lived here for fourteen years at for half of these years I have been an American and I know just what it took and what it takes to be one. It thrills me to know the words of my poem connect with my fellow Americans. I cannot thank you enough, Brian, for letting me know I got it right.
“Souls ache to slip a granite-fisted grip”… What a great description of the essential American character!
We don’t take orders from arrogant superiors who think that they “know best.”
Thank you, Joe. I believe the desire to slip a granite-fisted grip burns at the core of the American heart.
Susan Ma’am, “granite-fisted grip”, “brutish bent of tyrants”, “toy with trust and trample prayers” and the alliteration in “something set to sail a savage sea” – powerful and penetrating.
Greetings for the 4th of July!
Satyananda, I thoroughly appreciate your fine eye for poetic devices. Thank you for your comment and your greetings – they’re very well received.
What a great poem! I was drawn to the last line that links bravery and freedom. I’m not sure that we can accurately be called the Home of the Brave these days, but freedom doesn’t come cheaply or easily. That’s a great reminder.
Warren, you’re right when you say, “freedom doesn’t come cheaply or easily” – which is why we owe so much to those who paved the way for our freedoms. We owe it to those courageous souls not to lose every last shred of it. Warren, thank you for your appreciation and for your wise words.
This is a beautiful paean to what I think is the true spirit of America. You toss away all the tropes about alleged political freedom and get right down to the core of things: the adventurous, pioneering spirit that I think still distinguishes us. It’s especially interesting to read this as the perspective of one who adopted the US as her homeland.
The British government tried to prevent our westward expansion with the Proclamation of 1763, which forbade American colonists from going past the Appalachian mountains and settling in the territories beyond them. This was one of the causes of our Revolution. The adventurous and pioneering spirit that you mention is what drove us to rebellion and war, and to our spread westward. We weren’t going to let some damned bureaucrats in Westminster tell us what to do.
Adam, I am thrilled you approve. I set out to capture the true spirit of America – the home I’ve come to know and love – and I’m over the moon I succeeded. Thank you very much!
Joe, I have thoroughly enjoyed discovering the wonders of American history, and the little snippet you provide blazes with the adventurous and pioneering spirit of the past – a spirit that should be spoken of in every school across the country.
My favorite line here is, “On golden wings that blaze as they unfold.” This line draws an image in my mind of the setting glory of past accomplishments, the early promise of new possibilities, and the glow of the inner fire required to brave what others dare not.
Thank you for providing a positive poetic spin on an idea, a history, and a holiday that is cluttered with all the negativity that is passed off as poetry these days. This poem is refreshing.
D.R. Rainbolt, thank you very much for your beautiful comment. I am over the moon you enjoyed the poem and that you got to the very heart of what I wanted to convey.