Flashlights Over America!

Horizontal, these electric-karma streaks flashing

the jagged teeth of a leviathan smiling

across the nighttime line running low

above the clouded blue-black ink of deepest sea
where fish swarm blind and creatures lived as
street bums with bottles of darkened spirits
methylated and rolled up in cardboard, newsprint
they were there all the time on the sea bed

they still are in doorways to plush accommodations
but not to welcome warmly anyone to America

Mammy, pappy, imagined the lifelong day
to live in a hovel in westerland on a spot o’land
they climbed aboard a schooner bound for Nova Scotia
the yellow sun fell on their valley, created an aura
civilisation moves a pace, mid the gleans and beinns
oblivious to the march of time and arctic peoples
across the seas or in grand towns, histories form medieval
not London nor Constantinople but where the buffalo roam
American Indians, tribes, bands, first nation colonials
they never planned to invite visitors from overseas

Columbus found convolvulus wrapped around it’s spine
a nation dressed in morning glory at its premiere
gypsy peoples beyond the origins of time knew horror
before the massacre at high-school Columbine
primitive arrows quivered, the north plateau it shivered
in windy wastes, moccasined feet, keyholes in the snow
no wild west show or signs given for the way they should go
Japethites, their journey through time, a peaceful people
Indigenous, native, holy, disrespected by their invaders
characterised by Hickok showmen with tales phoney

Gunshots in Chi-ca-goo, her baby in a papoose
stay my child before the bluecoats come to plunder
is it any wonder I lay my head down on this land
separate thought in consideration, thoughts be damned
we carry in our holster recollections of our fathers lands

the tyranny of the masses bad as conscience sags
at the corral of any nation be it India, Australasia or Siam
it is a conundrum how any nation may be formed
except we question how the death of small children
could be grounds accepted for ought but revolution

How fast they grew, children of our loins, this pioneer land
its laws, customs, towns and states, America the brave
raped the sea of whales, fought within itself, retired its braves
who tried to make amends so meekly for the use of slaves
yet when was their freedom considered, torn from other lands
the mighty dream rolled on, America the free it binds
black man’s wrists with practises, beatings, murders so unkind
yes cities grew, the dream it never died while the worst bits
America you intended to hide, come clean thou huge imposter
you were leviathan smiling at the gates with blood in your eye

America, your searchlights blazing (might) winkle out the lies
midst global darkness, culminating in treatise you despise
your articles of freedom state reasons you build such beacons
yet your suburban cops are still a dangerous sight to see
within your new, fragile, national identity, incapable of apology
Maddison’s constitution is creaking at the knees yet
intellects for democracy still agree there is no other banner
whether star-spangled or plastered with new-left lather
you would rather take a cut-throat to the neck in secret than
join a private war, your efforts to police the world lying on the floor

Flashlights shine above New York, sirens sound in Connecticut
flood waters rise in New Orleans, a teeming monster has evolved
who stepped from out the bleach-ed sea to tame the blistered land
learned to build a concrete utopia in a desert made with sand
walk around on Michigan glass where bottles are mostly made
swim in Californ-i-a with silver fish who ride technologies wave
Pittsburgh’s steel is hard as hell, who rang the Philadelphia bell
on a visit to sweet Virginia, we call on Washington for justice
consecrate the constitution, the absolution of terror from your past
prove you are repentant of misdeeds that held the world aghast

When John the Baptist met Salomi no one called him for his role
in adolescent atrophy, he recognised his time to step aside
ever the black sun falls smoothly from out of western skies
my alma-mater sings so holy the purple clouds of morning
we hear a shepherds blush-red warning stood by this lightening storm

kiss the clouds of our pollution as they fold us in their arms

America you might still fulfil your mighty dreams of youth

anoint the crumbling heads of Rushmore’s presidents

resurrect