 |
| The Declaration of Independence - John Trumball, 1819 |
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” From the United States Declaration of Independence, 1776
Fifty-six men
With pens on parchment
Changed the world,
Declaring their intention
To pursue an ideal
Of equality and freedom,
Knowing that failure
Would leave them branded
As traitorous cowards
Hanging in the public square,
Knowing that the cannons of war
Would destroy the lives
They had sacrificed to build,
But inaction would cost so much more.
Those fifty-six men of vision
Understood the value of freedom
And were willing to pay the price.
Do we still possess that courage,
The willingness to stand
In the face of tyranny
In defense of the values
Earned by blood and cannon
All those years ago?
Sacred honor is a concept
Forgotten by politicians
Masquerading as leaders,
Relegated to dusty books and epic movies,
Yet in the heart of the patriots
Spread across these United States,
The burning desire for freedom survives,
Just waiting for someone to fan the flames.
~~~ This poem was written in response to a prompt from Poetry Jam asking us to write about value and values.
