Derivations

How many more derivatives
Of the stars and stripes
Can be made before it
Dawns on the alterers
It is just empty symbolism
In the first place

Till each person each has
Their own personal flag…?

Red white blue stars stripes
Altered officially 27 times
Current version 62 years old
Decaying and degrading
As unofficial versions
Crop up on their own to
Represent the unrepresented

Black and gray with blue stripe
Representing ??? The bruises
Of spouses of police officers??

Some stickered to rear windows
Of pretend “monster” trucks
Indicating they are torn and worn

Ummm torn and worn flags are
“Supposed” to be collected and
Burned ceremoniously by the VFW

Where is that bonfire ?

“I got to tell you folks I don’t get all choked up about yellow ribbons and the American flags. I consider them, I consider them to be symbols and I leave symbols to the symbol minded.”

– George Carlin

Enjoy the degradation
While it lasts
Until individuals
Realize that they
Are individuals
On a spinning sphere
Connected not to
An altering cloth rather
A Gaia consciousness
That needs no flag

“In the 18th century, flags were not revered as they are today. The flag had not yet become a symbol of liberty or patriotism; it was more frequently regarded as a military tool like a tent or a uniform.”

historicphiladelphia.org/betsy-ross-house/flag/

What do you know?

It is a “tool”

Used not to unite
But to divide
By those who
Like to keep the
Masses distracted
From their divinity

“Torn flag”

– Pete Seegar

At midnight in a flaming angry town
I saw my country’s flag
lying torn upon the ground.
I ran in and dodged
among the crowd,
And scooped it up,
and scampered out to safety.

And then I took
this striped old piece of cloth
And tried my best
to wash the garbage off.
But I found it had been used
to wrapping lies.
It smelled and stank
and attracted all the flies.

While I was feverishly at my task,
I heard a husky voice that seemed to ask:

“Do you think you could change
me just a bit?
Betsy Ross did her best,
But she made a few mistakes.

My blue is good, the color of the sky.
The stars are good for ideals,
Oh, so high.
Seven stripes of red are strong
To meet all danger;
But those white stripes: they,
They need some changing.

I need also some stripes
of deep, rich brown,
And some of tan and black,
then all around
A border of God’s gracious green
would look good there.
Maybe you should slant the stripes,
then I’d not be so square.”

I woke and said, “What a ridiculous story.
Don’t let anybody say I suggested tampering with Old Glory.”

But tonight it’s near midnight, and in another flaming town
Once again I hear my country’s flag lies torn upon the ground.”