This one has never slept a moment in her life.
That one’s face is as implacable as stone.
This one pleads to God in his dreams.
That one has forgotten how to speak.
See them move around on the surface of
their lives, like beetles crawling on the floor.
Oh, the pity of it all.
Citizens—draw back the curtains,
look out your windows,
throw open your doors.
A new day has dawned in America.
Peace and Justice stride the land again;
Decency and Compassion rush to embrace the people.
And Liberty unfurls its majestic, rainbow-hued wings.
Hatred and Intolerance have scurried back to the
shadows, gnashing their teeth in impotent rage.
Patriots, be on guard! They require only a moment’s
weakness to cast their dark, malignant spell once more.
But today, We the People have spoken,
in a voice as loud and strong as thunder.
We have proclaimed America as
a proud republic of laws, as a culture with
respect for learning and tradition, and as a
bright fount of hope for the future.
Now and forever, we sing this
joyous song of freedom and equality,
and we pledge anew to strengthen
the bonds of brotherhood and sisterhood
among all citizens who call this great nation home.
Speak to me O lover
In the language of the sea
In dark onrushing waves
That will sweep me away.
Talk to me O darling
In the tongue spoken by trees
With low whispers and murmurings
Meant for our ears alone.
Tell me O second heart
With words and signs no mortal ever used
How our passion shall bring forth the lightning
Knock the rivers from their courses
Shake the ground and bend the sky;
That as far as stars and
As long as time
There will be a single truth:
You and I.
To you whose loss is deeper than the sea
I offer mountain peaks with crowns of snow.
To you whose pain cuts sharper than any blade
I give this soothing balm of peace and joy.
To you who is weary of the weight of this world
I grant wings to soar to a land of light and love.
Of all the skies that have come my way
yours is the grandest one by far;
its majesty is immense enough to hold my heart
the Sun, the Moon and stars.
Calyx: a Poem a Day 