The JOHN HANCOCK is signed
We can easily find
The names quilled in ink
But does it make you think?
Our country needs everyone
To take a deep breath, exhale
And set out on a new trail
Listen to the wind blowing through parched minds
As it clears away the boundaries and lines
We are all citizens of the United States of America
We are all one, whole, connected, searching for Utopia
There may not be Utopia, but there isn’t Dystopia
We can rearrange; we can change or stay the same
It’s all up to you
To do what you believe to be true
Every heart, every soul, every red-blooded American girl or boy
Reach out your hand; take a stand; embrace each other with love and joy
I am alone this 4th of July
But if I cry
They will be tears of redemption
That will fill my emptiness
United We Stand
Strike Up the Band!
poem by Deborah A. Bowman