Song

Dance to your own drum, sing in your own key

I sing the song of America, my country, sweet land
the clay from which I was made
where my ancestors sailed before there was an island to receive them
and again, later, leaving their names upon the island’s wall
Believers, all of them
in the promise of freedom and rebirth
with passion enough to join a revolution
to stand up for the stricken
with courage enough
to weather the tyrant’s Tower

I sing the song of Texas, the proud state that raised me
for the hometown much maligned
for my grandparents, forging south
Believers, all of them
in our ability to strive and achieve
I sing for the hope that burns like a fire in the heart
stacking hard work and perseverance
layer on layer, year on year
for love, the mortar to hold the life of a family together
that produced a name to stand behind
and the treasure that grows the more it is given away
like a lucky penny in my pocket

I sing for the memory of the individuals who built this place
in their humanity, in all their triumphs and defeats
in their trials and errors, their rights and wrongs
I hear them singing back
how we are all one in our successes and failures
how the tides from this turbulent sea of liberty
rush out from our shores to touch the hands of the world
how the prize we seek hides like a pearl
not in the shell of desire
but in the glowing mantle of compassion and duty
I sing, because I still believe in the dream

---

This is the third poem in my series 3 at 43 – singing the song of another year of me. . . . from a couple years ago now. Self portrait photos plus self portrait poems! Thank you for reading!