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America the Beautiful    

By Fiona Poth '24

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Our fathers imagined 

And wrote in black ink

On white parchment

More than two hundred years ago,

“All men are created equal”

And have “unalienable rights”

And should be free to 

Pursue a life of “liberty”

and “happiness.”

 

How do we define “all”?

Are women “all”?

Are people of color “all”?

Are people of any 

sexual orientation “all”?

 

Love is happiness.

Only when all means all 

Will we be free at last,

But how and when will

All mean all?

Soldiers in blue

Fought to grant freedom.

We marched in Washington 

Together, hands clasped.

An equal rights amendment failed.

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Until we see

Our sameness 

And not our differences,

All will not mean all.

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Until we each stand and

Look in the mirror and see,

Not ourselves,

But the image of our neighbor,

All will not mean all.

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Until we all wear blue

And swear our allegiance

To one another,

All will not mean all.

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Until we all embrace

One another as our kin,

All will not mean all.

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May we believe again 

Like our fathers 

In unalienable rights

So America the Beautiful

can stand.