American Anthems
i
stand to sing
the
blue electric anthems
be-bop
and the
oh
so cool cool fusion of african heat
smouldering
youth
moving
to the beat, the beat
of
the devils own music that would not be confined.
young
white gods in blue jeans
loafers
and swivel hips race
main
streets hand in hand
with
virginal girls in street rods
each
friday night in every highschool,
jungle
like, does and stags
circle
waiting to be accepted,
in
slow dances under dimmed gymnasium lights
learn
unspoken knowledge..
the
ritual of hand and breast
in
backseats of chevrolets
to
the tinny sound of teenagers in love songs
and
the breathless promises of forever.
shattered
by the death of
the
trinity
the
checkmate game of black and white
the
new sounds of revolution
invasion
of naive minds
spiked
with fruits of knowledge
labelled
freedom
white
gods changed before us
jealous
of newer deities
usurpers
of the promise
worshiped
in the projects
on
watchtowers chanting iconoclastic screams
a
mantra by new generations
seeking
power by peace and love
and
understanding.
divined
in the stars and houses of the sun
alignment
of planets prophesying change
as
we sang in bayside fields
with
garlands of flowers in our hair
seeking
communion with new gods
with
amplified processions and
secret
eastern gospels
preaching
deliverance
without
crucifixion
without
shedding of blood
celebrating
the light
dancing
with cymbals in hand
the
sitar singing to Krishna
our
inheritances left to swamis
while
we chanted hare, hare
in
streets that became empty as our ranks
when
the truth of gods and goddesses
became
less clear and the prime directive
of
survival shook us by our hair
turned
us into vanities
with
love for greed
conspicuous
consumption
worshiping
want- dismissing need
dancing
like coutured dervishes
before
the altar of finance
offering
our prayer to the market bulls
of
more, more, more..
pinstriped
profits tore at souls
that
only wanted rock and roll
aquarius
submerged forgotten
the
seventh house reduced to ashes
all
gods and music turned to rhinestone
saved
briefly by those born to run
who
found the ancient truth still lives
in beating drums
and guitar strings.
Joseph A Farina is a retired lawyer in
Sarnia, Ontario, Canada. An award winning poet.Internationally published in
Europe and Middle East. published in Quills Canadian Poetry Magazine,
Ascent ,Subterranean Blue and in The Tower Poetry
Magazine, Inscribed, The Windsor Review, Boxcar Poetry Revue , and appears in
the anthologies Sweet Lemons: Writings with a Sicilian
Accent, canadian Italians at Table, Witness and Tamaracks:
Canadian Poetry for the 21st Century . published in U.S. magazines
Mobius, Pyramid Arts, Arabesques, Fiele-Festa, Philedelphia Poets
and Memoir and in Silver Birch Press Series. He has had two
books of poetry published— The Cancer Chronicles and
The Ghosts of Water Street and an E-book Sunsets in Black and
White and his latest book, The beach, the street and everything in between.
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