America, you frighten me,
America, you haunt my dreams,
America, you fill me with terror,
You frighten me with your complacency and apathy,
You frighten me with your self-contradictions,
You frighten me with your lies.
America, you frighten me with your ignorance,
Self-perpetuating, condescending,
You frighten me by embracing your ignorance,
By fighting to keep it,
By allowing this fight to succeed.
You frighten me, America, with your proselytizing cop shows,
You frighten me when you pimp your media.
I read Time magazine and I tremble.
America, you're responsible for this war,
America, the blood of six-hundred
Boys and girls
Is on your hands, washable still,
Because you refused to seek the truth,
Because you unquestioningly accepted these blatant falsehoods.
America, murderer of your sons and daughters,
America, sheep
Following a blind, insane, idiot shepherd,
Saving your children from fanciful wolves
By complacently accepting their slaughter
At the gnarled hands of your illusory protector,
Saturn
Devouring
His Children.

03/11/2004

Author's Note: To be read aloud

Posted on 03/11/2004
Copyright © 2025 Gary Hoffmann