A Bitter Mockery
They say
that America
is an old whore,
who wore out her welcome
a long, long
time ago,
and now,
only pockets of sanity
remain.
They say that she is nothing more
than a joke,
a bitter mockery
as the rich skyrocket,
and the poor crash and burn.
Her tongue is soiled,
and her hands are bloody.
Her body ravaged,
consumed,
tattooed with strip malls,
and her blood is green.
Justice is blind,
the very white
of her eyes
for divided are we,
and I can’t breathe.
How she has aged.
Once so glorious
and now so decrepit,
staring six feet down
into oblivion.
Those golden days are obliterated,
annihilated,
and time has marched on
with its back turned this way.
She’s no queen of the world anymore.
Maybe, she is gone already,
nothing but an afterthought,
or maybe,
just maybe,
if we cut deep,
if we listen close,
we’ll hear her heart
beat.
Despite anguish and pain,
the lies and betrayal,
she remains.
Blazing Eagle
From Melissa’s poetry chapbook, Tears of Sand/Amazon Kindle
The death toll echoed
throughout the shattered city
as children clung to pictures
of people buried beneath the ruble
while the dust swept over the dead.
The sun vanished beneath the clouds
as millions of tears were spilled
for those lost and injured
because their world was violated
by an invisible enemy
who used pawns
to take away our beloved city
and leave us open
as a reminder
that we too are vulnerable,
but our enemy is wrong.
We may be vulnerable
just like anyone else,
but we are also strong.
We can be knocked down,
but we will get back on our feet
to kick down our enemies
because our spirits will not break.
And the demand for justice
will be so great
that we will become one mass
to swarm over our enemy
and release our anger and sorrow
in one blinding flash
and leave the enemy
begging for death.
We will not lie down
for those to storm on top of us.
We will not beg
to be left alone.
We will not hide
and hope our enemies disappear. 4
We will not lie to ourselves
that this was all a mistake.
We will not die
and throw our orphans away.
We will not give up!
We will fight
when the enemy is unmasked.
We will avenge our loved ones.
We will remember this day
that we were bombed
because it will give us strength
to stand up tall
and to say,
“No matter what you do to us,
we will come after you
and punish you
for throwing away the people
that we have known and cherished
and crushing our pride into the dirt
because we are Americans
and we will not take your shit.
So don’t dare try us
because it will be your last mistake.”
And as I now contemplate my move,
I bow my head
and say a prayer
for those who died today.
This poem was written on 9/11/01.
Melissa R. Mendelson is a published author and poet with publications both online and in print. She is also a New York State Employee. She has three books out on Amazon and Amazon Kindle that range from Supernatural to Horror to Science-Fiction.
