oh leaders who speak for me

I resent your audacity
to represent my America
with your empire building
fear mongering
and arrogant
intolerance

you speak the language
of bombs
your words divide
make hate
raise fear
wage war

you ask us to sacrifice
our children
and the children
of our “enemies”
in pursuit of a
half-empty
barrel of oil

you close your ears to the wind
turn your face from the sun
and pillage our
precious world

I am sad for the loss of my America

I am sad for my children’s children
who will reap the seeds
that have been sown in their name
and are left behind

I am sad for the loss
of friends around the world
who used to admire our vision

I am sad for my America lost
that I have loved

The poem above was written by an old friend, Gwen Gould, who is a well-known organist and conductor.