My America - Expressions in Poetry

America, my country sweet
I pledge allegiance to your flag
Yet I respect all I hap to meet
And listen, learn and do not brag
Throughout the world are others
Who respect their own sweet land
And proudly with their mothers
Honor country with heart and hand

America is the great land of opportunity
Our make up is unique among nations
We champion both individuality and unity
And all can rise above their stations

A land of laws that sometimes clash
With weighty feelings of the heart
But let us not ever madly dash
Let's always put the horse before the cart

Six stripes of white and seven of red
Commemorate the colonies thirteen
When Washington to Victory led
The soldiers o'er the fields of green
Fifty stars on a field of blue
Count out the Union's fifty states
The Patriots are now Me and You
To vote as our conscience dictates

Went to an island near New York City
Standing tall there was Lady Liberty
Rising up from her star pointed base
Towards crown and torch in space

A gift in the 1800's from the French
A symbol of our light as a nation
We take not liberty for granted; we clench
So that we can soar with celebration

'Twas long ago in New York Harbor
A small island was transformed
To intercept the tailor and barber
And sometimes keep them dormed

The dairywoman who knew to curd
The children with meager toys
They came without an English word
To look for life's intended joys

They left behind parents and friends
A village, a job, a country, a life
With glorious hope of better trends
To stave the tide of unending strife

There outside the window, Liberty
There too, Manhattan, city of wonder
Very soon, freedom, prosperity
Escape the pall that they've been under

What's your name? They were asked
The chroniclers had a difficult time
Changes were made, heritage masked
Sometimes little reason and no rhyme

Questioned and prodded and in a daze
They marched through the Great Hall
And with valises, through the maze
Up the long stairs, they could not fall

Millions allowed in, some sent back
Back on the great ships to Europe
Those who stayed, overcame their lack
And made a great America, of hope

Today Ellis stands as a great symbol
To our kindred who reached for a dream
Walk the halls and feel the heart pull
By stories from our American team

Reprinted from WeLovePoetry.com

In my life, I've traveled
To most of the lower 48
I haven't perfectly unraveled
The quirks of each great state

The nuances of patois spoken
Are more distinct than North v South
My interest in cultures, history, awoken
As well, cuisines to tempt the mouth

Don't you just love those catchy tunes
They play on some of the holidays
From orchestras with loud bassoons
And marching bands in summer's haze
As well the anthems at sporting events
With all standing at rapt attention
Just consider what the music represents
On that point there's no contention

Displaying the Stripes and Stars
Is a right, an honor and a privilege
We all should be proud of what's ours
There ought be no dividing wedge

There's division on what the flag means
"No banners allowed"; for homogeneity
On TV, in the streets, are ugly scenes
Some saying there's false spontaneity

An American can start a corporation
Or become a cherished scholar
Hard work and steady application
Tend to grow that first framed dollar

Land of freedom, land of choice
Land of future bright for generations
Let us keep our hard won voice
And honor our soldiers' dedications