I’ve seen pride reduced to a dirty word

Warped like a history book

To fit in the palm of the fist of the faux-angry exclusionists

Who see the world through cracks in the dam

Terrified of the future crashing in to swallow them

They talk of us becoming great again

Like we ever got lost

Like we haven’t moved on

Like it really matters what piece of rock we’re floating on

Why make the map smaller

By turning in the corners

Look further, stand taller

Be a part of something greater

I’ve seen the politics of self-interest

The entitled few distress

At the thought of a common goal to work to fix their tax loopholes

They show the world through a fish-eye lens

Trading on fear and ignorance like insurance salesmen

I’d rather be part of the discussion

Than fortified

Electively blind

Who will we blame when we have severed every tie?

Why make the map smaller

By turning in the corners

Look further, stand taller

Be a part of something greater

I will never find pride in a flag

It’s time to reclaim the word

Find pride in unity

Be willing to work for a better world

L. Switzer