America the Great?! Scholarship Slam
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We the people the steeple of our country, that we hold so dear,
do salute and sing to this tune even though we do not hear
the pleas of the land and its ancestors,
the corruption we bring has been allowed to fester.
Our government is currently full of lies
Politicians answer questions with bullshit cries
American soldiers die their bodies next to dead Middle Eastern boys lie
From a distance you can here there mothers cry
Can’t we all just get alongRodney King I often wonder the same thingWe thought racism was overWhen we had a black PresidentBut since the last electionWe’ve all been way too hesitant to admit
How can I pledge allegiance to the flag
when America has never been great
How do we stand for the Republic
when the fourteen points of fascism
have become a checklist
How are we under God
Warnings of a Mother
Charmine Michelle Sylvestre
Little Black Boy, listen to what Mama has to tell you,
We Are Falling Greatness
Does that star-spangled banner still yet wave?
Can we still call ourselves the land of the free?
Can we still call ourselves the home of the brave?
My country tis of thee, foul land of misery
That’s what I see
Land of the white man’s lies
Land of the minorities’ cries
That’s what I see
The worlds got it all wrong
I remember a time when
Scientists were heroes, and
Respected people, who then
Shared their discoveries to enrich the land.
And yet, in this new era,
This new dark day,
The people of America
six feet under
damn what a bummer
all because
of
their skin
what was the color?
black
in america, is this even a surprise
I resist my fear, I don't believe in division,
I fight against fake news, nothing will cloud my vision.
We are all human: I refuse to rufuse any refugees.
I fight before all against hatred; love is our destiny.
(Derived from the lyrics of 'My Country Tis of Thee')
My Country tis of thee?
Are we all actually free?
Our country is suffering
And many are muttering
Where is the action?
My eyes are bleeding
Oh my god is that blood?
Hands up!
I'm watching bodies hit the ground around me
And hoping that I'm not the next one
Hoping that my siblings won't get gunned down like the past ones
“America, America! God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood”
From the mouths of babes these words are uttered
But how can they possibly be true?
Land of the free and home of the brave
We claim to be
We may be free from chains but we are not yet free
from Hatred
How is it freedom if people are afraid to be who they really are?
"America has alway been the greatest, full of power and authority!"
Say the people who have never been part of the minority.
It would be excellent if everyone could truly open their eyes
As a white person, I know very little of oppression.
I am not shot in the streets for no reason
I am not taunted with that confederate flag
I am not put in jail for the smallest infraction
Here in the proud U.S.A,
Where the brave and free call home today
We’re really not free, at least not yet
Not until we’ve settled our national debt
With friends and enemies who think we can’t pay
The New Omelas
by Lilian Ntximhlub Her
—after Ursula K. Le Guin’s "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas"
In the great city of Omelas,
An unsettling unrest in a country known for peace.
Manslaughter but not if the cop was confronting someone of color.
“We the People of the United States,”
But not all of the people
Definitely not gays, lesbians, and bisexuals
Trans people can’t use the bathroom
Don't fret.
You've got 200 dollars to your name, loans
Racking up interest left and right
Where you are is stuck
In the middle of
Work harder, but you can never
Work hard enough to stop
MY country ‘tis of thee, sweet land of liberty
This place is a great fit for me.
I have the freedom to live
And be selfless and give.
It’s time to confess,
we’re in a big mess.
The opioid epidemic,
might soon be a pandemic.
College costs so high,
no student dreams they can fly.
“Not my president” written on the streets,
Across oceans ashimmer with longing and mountains
Impassable but for the bright blaze of hope
We came.
The lure of golden shores and neon-nighted streets
In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue
The Native Americans called this place home, but they were not free to continue on
They were not free to stay where they had been
In the last light of dusk
A bright flame sprouts
From the center of the flag
That represents a united country
Old glory now represents a dying idea
The one of unity
When you think of America
We want you to think
Proud
Brave
Kind
When I think of America
I only think of
Greed
Arrogance
Spite
"Oh, say can you see" the division in our land?
When did we stop listening and start calling names,
How did we become so divided, thinking our neighbor our enemy?
Can't we just listen and not get so angry?
....AND THE HOME OF THE BRAVE!!!
The crowd's roar, but maybe I've got a little voice telling me there's more.
If bravery means winning and fighting and gore,
Then I am a coward, just that and no more.
What a beautiful Flag that waves -
O’er this nation of inequality that so strongly imprisons its citizens.
The red;
Like the blood which covers our streets,
The land that claim it’s freedom from the oppressors in the past
is now the one doing the oppressing.
America does not even represent
the United States only -
Tell Me Why America
You brag about our fight for justice
But where's the justice in poverty and unemployment?
You brag about freedom of speech
I am proud of America.
I am proud to live in a land of rights for all.
I am proud to follow in the footsteps of those who came before.
I grew up being told you can achieve anything you want
I grew up being told to love not hate
I grew up being told that America is the land of the free
o! are You honestly
surprised? that the
Rich get richer
while you have
Paranoia
seeping through Your bones
as You stare down the
bull on the street
this is no way to
The land of the free
it isn't all it's cracked up to be
Indeed it's worse away from here
But still, as free as we claim to be
as free as freedom should be
It Isn't.
Freedom rings from ear to ear,
echoing from coast to coast,
Since the ride of Paul Revere.
To the free, here is my toast:
America, you of which I do dream
Every wonderful road, or each steel beam
The home of the brave, the land of the free
Why does your gaze never pass over me
forgotten, alone, almost derelict.
We were founded on rebellion.
It got us our freedom,
the ability to live as we were,
as we are,
as we will be.
We were founded on rebellion
and we will continue to stand on its mark.
Zooming in on the murmurs of the mass,
I think to myself, what in the world has passed.
We like to think this nation is great and glorious,
That our heads are held high and our deeds are meritorious.
A child of an immigrant knows stength,
We see it every day in their eyes.
A child of an immigrant understands courage,
We wouldn't be here without it.
A child of an immigrant is proud,
Sparks Fly
America so beautiful so free
Are we truly free?
Are we a nation divided by race, or do we stand united together with faith?
Pray with me, stay with me, but do not take America away from me
Our hearts have been carved with silver spoons
Slice, slice, carve away as they laugh, the goons
They cheese as they prosper, increasing our power
Meanwhile their smiles fail to hide their glower
Hark! Calls my captain, may peace be with him.
The eagle on his shoulder, screeching, cawing –
His body so drapèd in red and blue, a contrast
To his pale, ghostly white skin.
The World is your oyster
But where you reside is your prison
America the great?
I don't disagree
America the terrible?
Sounds the same to me
They claim America is a She
As one we are Americans
Individually we shape America
We bleed red
We feel blue
And our white bones break under similar burdens
Growing up there was a light
So bright and beautiful
As the years passed by
The light began to dim inside
But what is broken can be fixed
As long as you see the joy inside of it
Despite our differences
Despite the tragedies
Despite the hate
I believe in you, America.
The shootings
The killings
The attacks
I thought you were better than that.
America the great?
No this is america full of hate
I just wanna take a step back
Back before we acted like we did when wars were called great
Back when love won
America the Great
Controversary whether star spangled banner signifies peace
Not if the flag stood after the bombing
But war, controdictions, and power are considered at the least
America the Great
Controversary whether star spangled banner signifies peace
Not if the flag stood after the bombing
But war, controdictions, and power are considered at the least
O say can you see, by our country's dimming light,What so proudly they hailed at the twilight's last gleaming,Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,
My mind spins in marvelous wonder,Across my lips lay words I ponder.Cold to the touch her body stands,Like the greenest pasture upon the meadowlands.
A nation built on power
But one that towers
A nation built on courage
Yet with compassion
A nation built on carnage
For the land of the free, there sure is a lot of bondage and incarceration imbalance.
You can only go to jail if you're not a straight, conservative, wealthy, white male.
America.
home of the brave, land of the free
do what you want, be who you want to be
you have no limits, even the sky can be yours
what about those 3 Afghanstan tours?
America.
