The vigor is gone from the Stars and Stripes.
What's happening is truly degrading.
The purity of the WHITE is sullied;
The RED and BLUE are slowly fading.

The sullying of the color WHITE,
Which stands for innocence, reveals
That we are slipping--that we are not
Holding true to our ideals.

Are we innocent if we
Ignore the years of hard-fought fights
For justice and equality
As we dismantle voting rights?

If RED means hardiness and courage
And the readiness to sacrifice,
What we're seeing happening now
Makes that meaning imprecise.

Too many people refuse to make
A sacrifice and throw a fit
When asked to do so to help protect
The lives of others, if even a bit.

If BLUE stands for vigilance,
Perseverance, and justice for all,
Then our approach to those areas
Needs a major overhaul.

Perseverance for many means
Believing conspiracy theories that make
Others wonder how truth can be
Such an easy thing to forsake.

Vigilance is also lacking
In many people who fail to see
That huge threats of attacks from our own
People are not hyperbole.

And BLUE for justice for all? Sadly,
That is something we can't declare yet.
Discrimination, selfishness,
And bigotry prove that we're not there yet.

By doing what's right, we must inject
More color into the current Old Glory.
If not, what we'll see will be
A sad end to America's story.

-by Bob B (8-5-21)