PostPoems Be Artistic. Be Creative. Be Inspired!

Most of what I read from amateur poets is utter crap.

I mean it takes real skill to craft a good poem,

And most don't possess the gift.
Not that my stuff is much better,

Or that I am even worth reading really,

But it is remarkable when I come across someone with the gift

To craft a good poem.

It takes a natural gift, above all else,

To be a decent poet.

A natural ear for rhythm and voice that no one can teach.

That's why I enjoy readng Bukowski.

He never lets me down.

And to think that he did all of that with only a community college degree

Is inspiring. 

Not meant as a slight, that most poetry is crap.

It just shows how hard the craft of writing is

That there is, as Bukowski once said,

So many poets but not so very much poetry.

One thing I've noticed is that a lot of people

Like to complain about this or that,

And whenever the minority party is running for the Presidency

Times couldn't be worse, according to them,

Whether Republican or Democrat,

It goes both ways.

But as a teacher once taught me,

It's the worst system in the world, but there is none better.

And we all pay our dues to live in this promise land

Just by paying our taxes and being good citizens and voting.

Some people pay more than others.

And if there's one thing I'd like to impart on you 

By the end of this poem, it's that

Freedom isn't free, but it's well worth the ride.

After years of mental illness, ideas of reference

And whatnot just getting better and living an

Average American life is quite a gift.

The life that most Americans take for granted is pretty special.

So thank your lucky stars tonight as you lay down to go to bed

That you live in the land of milk and honey,

A place where even a Charles Bukowski can be heard,

And shared,

And past down.

And don't forget that whether white or black,

Republican or Democrat,

Church deacon or drunken bastard,

We are all an extended family in this country fighting

For the same cause:

The American cause.

And, like I said before, freedom isn't free,

But it's well worth the ride.

Or as Hemingway said,

It's a wonderful world, and well worth the fighting for.

Every veteran knows that.

That's why it's worth it to earn it.

War is hell.

No one wants to go to war.

No one less than someone who has seen war.

But being from Columbus, Ohio,

I have to quote Woody Hays when he said,

Nothing that was ever easy was ever worth a damn.

And there's a certain pride that comes from serving.

You never owe anyone anything ever again.

The United States made me the man I am today.

God bless America.

Not much of a poem but it was heartfelt,

And maybe those are the best kinds of poems,

I don't know.

But what I do know is that I meant it.

Every word of it was true.

And as for the lousy poets?

Let them write.

Let them let their freak flag fly.

What's important is that we can all sit down

At the same table at the end of the day,

As Americans,

And agree that despite our differences,

We are all native sons.

Every difference that we are brave enough to tackle

Is a step toward progress, as painful as it may seem.

But America is a family.