StarPoet Newsletter Vol. XII, No. XXVII

Saturday, 02 July 2011 21:00 Last Updated on Saturday, 02 July 2011 18:08

The StarPoet Newsletter
Vol. XII, No. XXVII (July 3, 2011 C.E.)

Happy Birthday Y'all. 'Tis a grand old flag and not a bad constitution. Sic Semper Tyrannis.

Let us lie on the riverbank
Watching fireworks settle,
Sipping white wines
Between our kisses.

Lisa Jain Thompson c. 2011 C.E.


The best fireworks of all explode above the National Mall.

celebrate or leave
The Fourth
Happy Fourth! Happy Independence! If I were to die, I would die on The Fourth like Jefferson and Adams; I would not outlive this Republic, I would be naught but an American, One nation, proud and free; I would but one union reborn in freedom, No white, no black, no red, no yellow, A grand democratic mulatto From sea to shiny sea!
— Lisa Jain Thompson (July 2011)

The preservation of the sacred fire of liberty and the destiny of the republican model of government are justly considered... deeply, ...finally, staked on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people. -- George Washington

our sacred honor
The Rebellion
If I were shanty or old lace Irish, I would be expected to take arms against the British And offer my celtic blood in rebellion for the Republic; If I traced my genes to ancient Sicani or the Sicels, The government would assume I was Mafia organizing and resisting The power of Rome and the oppressive Italian thumb; If I were native American, a member of the Indian Nations, I would be asked to joint the great Sioux war party And follow Red Cloud into battle against the blue coats; But I am American and all of these, friend and foe, And stand proudly with my blood and ancient peoples, Raising our battle standards against the tyrants.
Lisa Jain Thompson (July 2011)

in the night's stillness
Beyond the Dull Rush
The dull rush of the interstate Fills the background of night's soft ruckus: The murmer of bats, the rustle of bushes, A feral cat tracking down careless mice; With neither Pleiades nor moon, I lie awake Cataloging what sounds there are: The firetruck's well doplered siren, Judging that one a backfire not a gunshot, That the border collie stirring in his sleep; Recording everything, I turn on my side And begin once more counting sheep, But drift instead into poetry.
— Lisa Jain Thompson (July 2011)

O beautiful for spacious skies, For amber waves of grain, For purple mountain majesties Above the fruited plain! America! America! God shed His grace on thee, And crown thy good with brotherhood From sea to shining sea! -- Katherine Lee Bates

I sing the universe infinity
Hyacinth and Myrtle
I have not won American Idol, But then they haven't walked on Mars, Have they? Or danced with Sappho Wearing only hyacinth and myrtle As the ocean washed over our feet.
Lisa Jain Thompson (July 2011)

O beautiful for pilgrim feet Whose stern impassion'd stress A thoroughfare for freedom beat Across the wilderness. America! America! God mend thine ev'ry flaw, Confirm thy soul in self-control, Thy liberty in law. -- Katherine Lee Bates

river she come down
Rainbows' Jumpin'
Crow on a lamp post, Cawing off its head, Observing primate movement, Dogs, an occasional cat. River flowing sidewalk Streaming down from above, Trout caught up in flood waters Washing over the bus stop. One of these mornings, Cold waters' goin' t' get me,, Swallow me up And sweep me out to sea.
Lisa Jain Thompson (July 2011)

a world long ago
Can't Buy Me Love
Beatles Music, A half-century in my past, Hold My Hand, Eight Days A Week, The gunshot several decades away; Along with Beach Boys, my Top Forty, The music we danced to, The music I learned to make love to, The music of moonwalks And unlimited possibilities Before the cynicism, Before the god almighty I Replaced the we: Cheap drugs, good music, And enough prosperity to spread around Without becoming soft or self-serving; We could the change the world back then Before the world and children changed us all. We could live a life of apparent ease, March for civil rights, black and white, Cry together for John, Martin, and Bobby, Discuss our utter lack of surprise When Janis, Jim, and Jimi disappeared; Watch the music slowly die alongside Our democracy, election after election, Radio, MTV, and You Tube, Twitter, Facebook, and Beyond, Step by step, stage by stage, Down the rabbit hole to oblivion, Singer by singer, politician by politician, One after another taking us with them Like we were some adolescent girl Listening to her first Beatle record.
-- Lisa Jain Thompson (July 2011)

O beautiful for heroes prov'd In liberating strife, Who more than self their country loved, And mercy more than life. America! America! May God thy gold refine Till all success be nobleness, And ev'ry gain divine. -- Katherine Lee Bates

may lightning strike me if I lie
Beyond Repentance
I could believe in a Jesus Whose Magdalene was Gaga, Whose Rock was Springsteen, Whose Paul was Dylan; A Jesus who knew Lear As well as he knew Hamlet, A Messiah who was conversant With Twain and Thomas Jefferson; I could follow a Savior Who understands the Double Helix, Who accepts a multi-universe And enjoys a glass of Jameson; A Jesus who loves Science Even more than the Scriptures, And embraces women and family As much as he does men.
Lisa Jain Thompson (July 2011)

like she said
Chora
Who said the which to the what, Who stepped forward and raised their hand? Did a friend tag your photo on Facebook, Did your twitter get up and go viral? Life in the fast lane (there's never a slow lane) Runs tumble head heel towards disorder: Step lightly on the asphalt wherever you walk Less the heat burn the soles of your feet.
— Lisa Jain Thompson (July 2011)

O beautiful for patriot dream That sees beyond the years Thine alabaster cities gleam Undimmed by human tears. America! America! God shed His grace on thee, And crown thy good with brotherhood From sea to shining sea. -- Katherine Lee Bates

before the marching band begins ...
A Birthday Proclamation
We are not a mob democracy, A simple majority does not rule us; That the American People might want something Does not make it in the best interest of The Republic To pursue that course of action. We are what we are: If do not like our President, We do not re-elect him or we Have our representatives impeach him And remove him from office; If we do not like our senator or congressman, We vote for someone else; If we find no candidate to our liking, We run for office ourselves. America is a Republic, One Nation, one Constitution over A free and cantankerous People, Each one of us at liberty to disagree As our Founding Mothers and Fathers intended it -- We would not have it any other way,
— Lisa Jain Thompson (July 2011)

picnics and fireworks!
Fireworks Fireworks, Cokes, and hot dogs, Children running around the mall, Hamburger, beer, and Sousa, Sparklers after nightfall. Happy birthday all of us, Come celebrate our nation, Marching bands and fire engines, Parades and childrens' faces. Washington, Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Melville, Poe, and Whitman, Aaron, Mays, Ruth, and Mantle, Cohan, Porter, and Gershwin. Come to our party both young and old, Sing out for America and liberty, One union still unites us all Forever proud and free.
— Lisa Jain Thompson (July 2011)
Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and success of liberty. -- John Fitzgerald Kennedy


Copyright © Lisa Jain Thompson 1948-2011. Back issues are in the Newsletter Section of the StarPoet website. Visit my contact page and get in touch.