pastiche

I am proud that my country
Is more than mere land,
More than a flag or abstraction,
More than its taste buds,
History and weather –
More than a drama,
A language, a dream.

I am proud that my country
Allows me to laugh,
To curse its dark moves
And scorn its mistakes,
To understand shame
Or accept my rare praise
With a blush.

If pride is accepting that
Here is the day and the
Night of my life,
The blindness and sight,
The real and the conjured,
The known and unknown
Through god or the
Mere drift of atoms,
Then I applaud pride –
For here I have learned how to
Laugh at myself.

I am proud that my country
Is greater than all of its
Parts spun together
And squeezed in one heart,
For that heart, with its glories
And fabulous failures,
Beats in my chest –
For my country,
My England,
Is me.

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The eyes rule all...

Penelope

I visited your site and this was my first read as it's on the main page. What we think and say about our country says more about us than about the sum of all parts. I prefer pride over disdain any day.

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"Trees cause more pollution than automobiles do." Ronald Reagan ~ 1981

Poetry Editor @ Sacred Twilight

pastiche

Thanks for coming to the site!
And for your comments...

Smile... But it's those differing parts that allow me to think and say these things...

__________________
The eyes rule all...

Jude Knox

Very elegant.
Mature.
I wish I could say the same about my own country... Well, sometimes.

__________________
"A thousand bodies piled up I never thought would be enough to show you just what I've been thinking."

pastiche

I'm sure that "sometimes" is the operative word - in any country...

__________________
The eyes rule all...

bettyblack

I know it doesn't really matter, but how old are you?

Jude Knox

Sometimes.... kinda wish I was never here.... especially in the winter.... with the snow.... and the shoveling up the inclined driveway that's a real SOB.... I've heard England looks a lot like Massachusetts (or vice versa). Your thoughts?



[note: bettyblack, you're awesome. you're from northampton!! I wish I could be there, especially August 15th when Warped Tour hits...I wanna see mi boyz...I lurves them so.... I could just drive there but alas....werk werk werk werk = gah!]

__________________
"A thousand bodies piled up I never thought would be enough to show you just what I've been thinking."

bettyblack

Who is it you want to see? I'm ignorant about any music made in like... the past decade. I might go to Warped Tour, then I might not. I'm not a concert type really. If you do manage come, I'll show you how to sneak in through the fence.

Work isn't fun is it? I just got back from 5 hours of scooping ice cream and am now coated in sticky stuff.

Northampton is a nice town and I know you weren't asking me, but I agree Massachuesetts is the most European feeling/looking state.

Jude Knox

I lift stuff. And then some.

MCR. That's all I want to see. Thems me boyz.

And you are showing me how to sneak in. By the wrath of Odin, you shall!!

::Note::didn't sleep a wink last night and woke up really early after I managed to pass out for several hours a.k.a. my eyes sting::

__________________
"A thousand bodies piled up I never thought would be enough to show you just what I've been thinking."