Member-only story
Patriot’s Pantoum
A structured poem about the fragility of freedom
I read about it in a poem once
And it makes me cry all over again
As I touch the frayed edges of freedom
And the chasm ever widens.
And it makes me cry all over again
As history flashes backwards
And the chasm ever widens.
Mercury must be in retrograde bigly.
As history flashes backwards
Positions petrify into stubborn stones of hate.
Mercury must be in retrograde bigly.
And all the stars have vanished.
Positions petrify into stubborn stones of hate
Hope is arrested and thrown in jail
And all the stars have vanished
Now we grieve, we mourn, we wail.
Hope is arrested and thrown in jail
The soul of America lies dying
We grieve, we mourn, we wail.
But once upon a time, we had a vision.
The soul of America lies dying
As I touch the frayed edges of freedom.
But once upon a time, we had a vision —
I read about it in a poem once.
Marilyn Flower writes fast fun reads with a touch of magical realism to strength the imagination of socially conscious folks. Clowning and improvisation strengthen her during these crazy times. She’s a regular columnist for the prison newsletter, Freedom Anywhere, and five of her short plays have been produced in San Francisco.
