America the Beautiful
By Brenda Davis Harsham
Shoulder to shoulder
with people determined
to be heard,
holding up signs
in weary arms,
speaking in tweets
to a man who cannot
turn his back
and ignore millions
around the country
and around the world.
No one can expect
to be heard
if he will not listen.
I hear all of you,
America the Beautiful.
Your voices matter:
We Will Not Be Silent.
Love Trumps Hate.
Insist on the Impossible.
Make America Think Again.
We are ALL Immigrants.
Black Lives Matter.
Don’t Make America Hate Again.
No One is Free If Anyone is Oppressed.
A Woman’s Place is… Wherever She Wants.
Show Up. Dive In. Persevere.
Women’s Rights Are Human Rights.
We’re Lawyers. We’re Ready.
Real Men of Quality Don’t Fear Equality.
Women’s Rights aren’t up for GRABS.
Disability Rights are Civil Rights.
Respect for Existence or Expect Resistance.
Indivisible Under God.
With Liberty and Justice for All.
Healthcare for All.
Words NOT Weapons.
Make Love Not Walls.
Resist Hate.
Roar.
Nasty Women.
Roar.
Never Surrender.
Brenda Davis Harsham marched in Boston. Her poetry and prose have been published in anthologies, online and in journals including Silver Birch Press, NY Literary Magazine’s Awake anthology, the Best of Today’s Little Ditty Anthology, The Writing Garden and The Paperbook Collective. One poem won First Place in NY Literary Magazine’s Poetry Contest. America the Beautiful was previously published on the poet’s website, Friendly Fairy Tales.
Photo credit: Carly Hagins via a Creative Commons license.