Our land is still young as great nations go
Twelve score, naught much more it would seem
Tho’ fragile to start but with firm righteous hearts
Built of people, their hopes and their dreams
Hard working souls who gave past their hurt
Giving time, talent treasure and more
Working the land, trusting in God
Being fiercely stout hearted at their core
They came for freedom, e’re their right
Dispossessing duke and king
Vouchsafing liberty, a just reward
With God’s grace their ears did ring
Some won plenty, others less
But all had chance to win
Some with wit, some by luck
Good fortune’s kith and kin
And those who found less riches
Be they idler, dullard or sloth
Here still claimed much better life
Than with king to cut their cloth
The land did thrive and masses came
It grew by leaps and bounds
It proved to be a better place
As its treasures did redound
All went well those earlier days
Both high and low lived good
Six score years weathered thick and thin
As we burst to nationhood
Then came new talk, ideas of change
Railing at ill-gotten gains
Decrying hard work as its own reward
Ridiculing the work-ethic’s claim
The land grew fractious, split and torn
By politics, money and creed
People balked at time-tested truth
Free stuff was their right, not just greed!
Workers, doers, busy-bees all
Toiling harder, pay under duress
While takers and freeloaders cry out for more
Growing huge in their burden, care less
Freedom, liberty, pursuits of man
Seem trivial intangible things
Comparing entitlements with long idle whiles
Such birthright and grandeur don’t sing
We’ll quickly arrive at a no turning back
A crossroads obscure yet extreme
Lest people wake up and fear what may come
They’ll have lost their Yankee esteem
Not the rich or the well-to-do, mind you
Nor the landed or gentrified class
Not political dandies or their blue-bloody pals
Nor gov’t drones so crass
You suburbanite dwellers, you climbers and cads
Rough handy’s and jacks-of-all-trades
You salt-of-the-earther’s, you moms and you dads
You’re the ones who should heed this tirade!
For you bring on yourself your worst possible fears
Your pride and independence it would seem
Will be gone in a flash, they’ll just disappear
Like your hope for the American Dream
Al Shane
Upland, California
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