The American Dream? – poem by Leela Soma
Tribes that stayed true to nature, Cherokee, Apache
Sioux overpowered decimated and sent to reservations
The red of their veins in the soil of the nation
The blue of the settler’s eyes reflected in the sky
The white of foaming rivers trailing in the ships
Of enslaved men, women and children from Africa
They built this nation forged in red, white and blue
The stars in the firmament laid witness to the
Stripes laid on souls of colour of every hue
Freedom, independence to a select few
Wealth and fortune amassed, wants unsatisfied
Needs of the rest ignored in the race to be on top
But will this nation value life more?
The innocent who perish by the gun
Slaughtered in vain, red stripes on virgin white
Renounce the right to bear arms?
replace it with the right to live in peace
Without weapons, in civilised harmony?
Born of the gun, by the gun, for the gun
Conceived in Liberty, that all men are equal
Is it the land of the free, and the home of the brave?
Leela Soma, June, 2015
This section: Leela Soma writing and blogging, stories and poems, Writing
Filed under: Leela Soma writing and blogging, stories and poems, Writing
Prevous page or post | Next page or post
Written by : Pat Byrne
One response to “The American Dream? – poem by Leela Soma”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Related Pages
- Neon Dreaming at Glasgow Film Festival 2025 review by Pat Byrne
- Mistress Dispeller at Glasgow Film Festival review by Pat Byrne
- On Falling, Glasgow Film Festival 2025 review by Pat Byrne
- Tornado – Glasgow Film Festival 2025 review by Pat Byrne
- Transatlantic Sessions – Celtic Connections 2025 review by Pauline Keightley
- Dead Dog Beach by Paul Murdoch review by Mary Irvine
- Lake Street Dive at Old Fruitmarket Celtic Connections 2025
- Reciprocal Systems of Health in the Climate Era – Exhibition at Advanced Research Centre, University of Glasgow
- tell it slant at Locavore
- Blue Rose Code. John Martyn Tribute at Celtic Connections 2025
- Winter a poem by Nina Quigley
- Hallowe’en – A Bygone Theme by Pat Byrne
- Two Poems For Hallowe’en by Finola Scott
- Trick or Treat by Freya O’Neill
- Whispers from the Shadows
- Parcels – a poem by Basia Palka
- Story for Hallowe’en – The Denny Tank Ghost
- Hallowe’en by Georgina Edward
- The Nightway Man by Michael Tess
- Storytelling for Adults, Mary Edward – Blending Fact and Fiction review Pat Byrne
Find myself returning to Leela’s poem time and time again this year, for all the sad and wrong reasons. America’s blinkered approach to firearms, the west’s ignorance of other cultures and situations…. This poem just grabs it all.