Ahem
I pledge allegiance to the flag
A Moment of silence please
I’m trying my hardest not to scream
of the United States of America
I’ve never been one
To bully with words
and to the Republic
But what the fuck is wrong with you
There aren’t strong enough verbs
for which it stands
Black vans at birthdays
Graduation to gulag–no jury, no say
One nation
Resounding goose steps and quacks
Marching Gestapo ducks step the fuck back
Under God
All to say, clear and straight, I feel like a coward
For not speaking up, even speaking out loud
Indivisible
I already feel six feet under, dead and buried
Head like these metaphors, tired and weary
With Liberty
A dog without fight, eyes closed, head hung
The moment has come, yet I hold my tongue
And justice
While Lady Liberty waves the white flag
Vultures on her chest, she thrashes, she gags
For all
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A/N:
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About the Creator
Matthew J. Fromm
Full-time nerd, history enthusiast, and proprietor of arcane knowledge.
Here there be dragons, knights, castles, and quests (plus the occasional dose of absurdity).
I can be reached at [email protected]
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Past Lives
War made for odd couples. To Private Jim Mclellan, Sepp seemed a good man; better at least than some of the monsters he heard stories of deeper into the Reich. Real monsters. This Sepp almost reminded Jim of his uncle; the one from Wisconsin he met a few times at Weddings.
By Matthew J. FrommExclusive • 11 months ago
Comments (12)
This is absolute fire. Authentic to the times we are in. Powerful writing Matthew! I’d go so far as to see flawless, as far as word choice, flow, and theme
HOLY SH--! As if I didn't already want to be your friend then you post something like this. I can't remember if I told you or not, but I'm living in KY right now. Deep in Red State/Trump Country. It always makes me so happy to see others that feel as deep a sense of concern for the state of our country as I do.
A lot of us can get on board with our non-voice/non-action when we see or hear it all day long. And like you said, we just want to scream -STOP!- Excellent entry, Sir Fromm!
Hell yeah! Fantastic. 👏👏👏👏
You have filled the silences between solemn, traditional words with searing syllables. Very impressive.
Great work here, I know you claim them as tired metaphors, but you gave them quite a bit of life
your inner and outer turmoil twinned perfectly.
Man, this is visceral and in your face and exactly the kind of writing that needs to be shared right now. We, the PEOPLE, will not be silent. We need to let the world know that we are not okay with this violence and vitriol and lies. I love this underlining current of vulnerability too: "I already feel six feet under, dead and buried Head like these metaphors, tired and weary" I think this makes the message/themes in the poem that much more potent and relatable. It's one thing to scream political injustice, it's another to admit mental and emotional trauma amidst the political injustice. By bringing the human experience into this, this has elevated this poem to one of my favorite political writings I've read on Vocal! Thank you for sharing, Matthew!! <3
Woah, dude. This is blistering. I mean, I loved Stephen's reference point. But, I also love when you just let your feelings out. Not that you reserve them, as such, but I think maybe you hold back sometimes? This is one of those examples of why you shouldn't.
A beautiful poem in showing the conflict of love yet no longer wishing to follow blindly yet trying to find the strength to change or speak up
If only this didn’t so perfectly sum up the state of things.
A biting blend of the song a "A Moment of Silence" by Dan P. and the entire Metallica album "...And Justice For All" ️🔥