I See My Father Sleeping

I see my father sleeping

The only peace he knows is sleep

Should we wake him?

I see him sleeping

And recall my youthful dreams of him

All dreams, I suppose, begin in youth

The young can afford to dream

Smokestacks become cathedral spires,

Then aspirations, fueled by the noble half of our nature,

Grow higher, less noble, less precise,

And ultimately, out of reach.

Shall we tease him, throwing stones at his front door

And then run away like children?

Or shall we seek out others,

Who blindly rest, secure in his bosom,

Enticing them to fight our fights against him,

By tempting their fears and prejudices,

Knowing all the while that he will protect us?

But our father sleeps

Wishing to share the dreams

Of the children he has lost 

But in his slumber, he cannot protect

Those who die in the streets everyday.

I see the other dreams vanishing also,

I see them vanishing on the faces of children who cannot eat,

Of adults who cannot read,

In the despair of a nation that cannot hope

I see America dazed and I don’t know why

 

I see America sleeping

Weeping, angry, I look upon that which I once called Father

And I see the blissful ignorance that only sleep can provide

A noble, slumbering, drunken giant such as him,

Asleep  on an ashen bed that once was our hopes,

But I cannot forget, I cannot forgive,

And I want to whisper into his good ear the words

“WAKE UP”

Author's Note

a poem about America,, and old work and I'm not sure how i feel about it,,

Reviews

[Gee]

Love this Dan.From the outside looking in America seems quite a f#!#ed up place,the people very insular and seemingly not caring what happens in their own country let alone the rest of the world.And no matter how many fights Obama tries to settle,sort, his country is still frowned upon,as many see an ulterior motive,perhaps not there,to his involvement.

[daninstockholm]

Thank you so much my friend. As one who has the advantage of seeing his country from the outside, my own perspective has changed a lot and my eyes opened. I wasn't sure about posting this, but I'm glad i did and I'm glad you liked it!

[Terpsichore]

Reading this, I am put in mind of Newton's third law.

Perhaps sleep is sometimes better than action. :) T

[daninstockholm]

haha,,, I'm not sure about that. I think that inaction, or rather the typical urge to live our lives as the proverbial ostrich with it's head in the sand is part and parcel of how we ended up in this mess. Freedom takes vigilance and it's so easy for politicians to strip away at our freedoms. If we, as Americans had been on our toes, then the mislabeled Dept. of Homeland Security (??) would have been torn asunder long ago. Once given up, freedom is rarely if ever reacquired.

[Beccy]

There certainly are, I've visited one or two and seen for myself.

Have an equally great week, and nice to read you. Beccy.

[Beccy]

There is right and there is wrong in every 'father'.

On balance, warts and all, I believe America is the father I would choose over many.

Beccy.

[daninstockholm]

Thanks, Beccy. I won't turn this into a political debate, but of course, even though I am greatly dissapointed in the course of events since the Bush era, there are certainly worse, far worse, than the US. Have a great week!!

[Indra Neil]

a powerful and profound write composed in an unique style!!

[daninstockholm]

Thank you very much!! I truly appreciate your kind support. I was so unsure about posting this one, but I'm glad I did!

[Indra Neil]

you are welcome!

[An owl on the moon]

What a powerful, piercing voice flows through your words, with the echoes of past and glimpses of the present mingling together. Emotionally stirring, and how I hope the voices rise and awaken the world in slumber.

[daninstockholm]

Thank you so much. It was written at a time when my thoughts were very dark about my homeland, and they still are in many many ways. I still hold out a very small hope that they can right themselves, but it's hard to see it happening.