Penning Freedom

Perhaps the greatest story ever penned—

The first American dream;

On this day in 1776 a brash declaration,

Was made against a power of great esteem...

A nation longing for independence,

Wanting desperately to change its stripes—

Stars that dotted the sky in the distance,

The horizon to which we set our ambitious sights,

Would be seen as none other than providence—

Proof that God would be in the midst of the ensuing fight.

However, after the gravamen was expressed,

Other brave souls readied their aim,

When it was evident Britain wasn't impressed,

And saw us as wild animals further needed to be tamed;

Thus our desire to be free would be put to the test—

It'd take more than just words to loosen those chains.

And so we fought on,

With faith as our guide,

Our leader, intrepid George Washington;

Across the Delaware, and alow rockets...

Whose red glare was like a bolide,

Nothing could deter us from our ambition—

Who can be against you when God is on your side?

There was many a Pyhrric victory,

And, conversely, many setbacks—

In an instance of irony, even, they captured the city,

Philadelphia, thinking the words echoed therefrom we'd retract!—

But even then, we fancied American apple, not humble pie,

For an appetite for appeasement we've forever lacked...

America—she was not contrite,
Nor did nary patriots' lips quiver,
Trembling words wrought of fright,
Reneging the promise they sought to deliver;
It was evident that Time for all men is finite—
We knew we just had to win that war!

Finally came the Brits' surrender,
Their redcoats aglow,
Under the vermilion sky of October—
And to each man's broken ego stood a gallow,
To forever stand erect so he'll always remember:
Never underestimate the little man's thew,
When he's a stake in the outcome of his own endeavor—
He'll give you his word and never disavow...

That's the spirit of America!


- Kevin B. Waring