The ominous dark clouds build in strength overhead,
Pressing down upon the inhabitants of our land.
Hate and anger are abundantly bred
Through all our selfish and unsatisfied demand.
How my heart cries over our depravity!
Its agony weighed down heavily in grief,
As it watches us living in enmity,
Shaken with much weakness in numb disbelief.
Where did it go, my beloved nation?
Has it disappeared behind the dark clouds?
The glory obtained from its creation,
Due to our lack of gratitude enshrouds.
Though it's now hidden, I know it still lives today.
May it do so forever, I earnestly pray.
Commentary:
My parents were both teachers, and loved to read. They taught their children, including me, the importance of being informed in what is going on in the world. I was raised at a young age watching the news. I think many people would wince at that these days, having young children being exposed to the news while so young, but I don't remember ever having trauma or poor memories from it. There were many events that occurred that I perhaps didn't fully understand, but I understood enough to have an idea. Part of that awareness involved watching a lot of politics, and where I grew up there was a lot of energy and excitement about being an American. I perhaps saw a few demonstrations of flag burnings on the news, but there was so much excitement that those seemed like minor incidents.
It wasn't until I became a teenager that I began to see another side of politics: the ugliness. I began to see how one party was trying to blame the other with misbehavior and mistakes. Pointing the finger was frequent and it disgusted me. Sadly enough, as time grew on, I began to see that same anger and hatred spreading throughout the country as well. It broke my heart, because I knew we were better than this. It has since grew even stronger, and I'm sad to see it, but I still cling to that light of hope, however dim, that perhaps somehow people besides me will see something needs a 180, and make to effort to do it.This poem was written in a moment of reflection of these sentiments. I believe hope still exists.
