Colors

Colors 

I pledge a allegiance to the Flag of the  United States of America and to the republic for which it stands... 

I do not know about you but tears build up in my eyes whenever I recite the pledge of allegiance, 

It reminds me of when I was just a kid in this great country of ours in a time when we could play barefoot in the park alone until the street lights came on without fear of being harmed or taken. 

 It reminds me of our bicentennial in Nineteen hundred and seventy-six when our country was strong and proud of our two hundered year old birthday. It reminds me of back when I served our country earning three honorable discharges that still hang on my wall today. It reminds me of all the men and woman who have died defending our flag all over the world, from seventeen seventy-six until today twenty eighteen they were black, yellow, white, and brown but a  gunshot heard was their last sound.

 From the African American Buffalo Soldiers, to the Navajo Indian Code Talkers, and the 442nd infantry of Asian American Soldier's and more. They marched for our freedom here in America, shoulder to shoulder they were Airmen, Sailors and Soldiers.

We fought for our American flag and our country and they still do today. 

 Yeah, I saw colors alright, hell all you had do was look around to see that sight, there was Army greens, Air force blues, Marine Corp whites, and Navy blues that is what I saw then, and today when I look around, those are the only colors I see too. 

One nation under God…

  Christians, Catholics, Muslims, and Jews, Buddhist, Atheist and Wicca too, we saw nothing of religion that was your right to choose all I saw was Americans fighting with me and dying for you.

 So the next time that you choose your sides, because you all are so uptight, please remember that someone died out on that field just so you can have that right. 

 All this bickering of race and politics that we do, has really got to end, for not only the grownups sake, but the messages that we now send

 Our kids now watch us and they listen to all the hate that we spew, and soak up everything they see and now they are following though.

 From Michael Brown to Dillon Taylor both shot while they were unarmed, that has got to raise a red flag up and cause us all alarm. And now we have mass shootings every we look we as Americans must come  together and stand up tall then end all of our differences about religion politics and race to show the world that we shall never fail and our flag still stands for freedom and it always will. 

 Indivisible with liberty and justice for all...

Poet Richard M Knittle Jr.

A #Poets Journey

Texas Poet Laureate Nominee 2016-2020