A broken nation
built on the backs 
of brown men and women 
who sang of hope
freed in name but discarded
and told to be thankful
for the skills they learned
in between the beatings 
and the auction block

A broken nation
that worships guns as its religion
thou shalt not take my weapon
replaces all commandments 
children hide under desks
with shaking fingers
as they text goodbye to their parents
leaders more concerned
about gatekeeping books and bathrooms
than the sacred protection
of childhood

A broken nation
built upon the capitalist ideal
that all can partake in the riches
if they dream hard enough
and work
          work 
              work
such a charismatic, believable lie
but the bootstraps were pulled off long ago
and are lying in the mud

A broken nation
where women are tolerated
but their bodies
are controlled by old, white men
who roll their eyes at their audacity
to protest
while a 12-year-old little girl
is forced to give birth 
to her rapist’s baby

A broken nation
where compassion
and community are dismissed
as woke nonsense
where the words of
“life, liberty, and happiness”
ring hollow and echo
from sea to shining sea