Ed. Note: Another in our series of poems by writers who participated in Arlington Writers Resist.
My anthem is the serenade of birds,
sung without regard for map lines
delineating human assumption of dominion
over that which cannot be possessed,
and I will not pledge allegiance to,
or defend a flag of illusory freedom.
As the sun greets each day,
I will bravely stand up—against
racism, gendered hate, and xenophobia.
I will join in solidarity
with those who block pipelines
and protest gun violence,
those who feed the hungry
and work to stop the school
to prison pipeline,
and with every person who works
for the common good.
Solemnly I swear not to tolerate
the revision of history to fit
a fraudulent justification for
perpetual war or
wanton destruction of Earth.
This is my oath of citizenship,
because to do anything else is treason.
(Published in Indolent Books Transition Poem series)
Lucinda Marshall is a writer, artist, and activist. Her recent poetry publications include Sediments, GFK, Indolent Books Transition Series, Stepping Stones Magazine, Columbia Journal, Poetica Magazine, and ISLE. Her poem, “The Lilies Were In Bloom” received an Honorable Mention in Waterline Writers’ “Artists as Visionaries Climate Crisis Solutions”.
Image By DaFoos – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6423935; Author photo “Anonymous Quilted,” courtesy of the author.
