Bitter Old Men Yelping at Each Other

       (rather like some of the in-laws over Christmas dinner)


     “Language, the home and receptacle of beauty and meaning….”

                                 -Doctor Zhivago, p. 437


My country, ‘tis of thee

     “Get out of your bunker and get out of the sand trap!”

Sweet land of liberty

     “What do you want to call them? Give me a name. Give me a name!”

Of thee I sing

     “It’s hard to get a word in with this clown.”

Land where my fathers died

     “Proud Boys, stand back and stand by!”

Land of the pilgrims’ pride

     “He’s Putin’s puppet!”

From every mountain side

     “You can’t even say the word ‘law enforcement!’”

Let freedom ring

     “Will you shut up, man?!”


(No apologies to Samuel Francis Smith; he pinched the tune from “God Save the Queen.” As for the sad old men, they are entirely our own.)