I (Don’t) Pledge Allegiance

I pledge allegiance

to humanity, to the people of all nations, but not, no definitely not

to the flag

of this country that Chinese children were forced to make overtime in sweatshops after 9/11 because of our blind patriotism and when I think

of the United States of America

I think of the Native and African slaves, I think of the massacres, the land soaked with indigenous blood, the death and destruction in the name of progress

and to the Republic

which belongs to rich white men I have one thing to say: “fuck you” because I know that

for which it stands

is capitalism, imperialism, racism, patriarchy. And the beast can’t contain itself in just

one nation

it needs to gobble up the whole Goddamn world

under God,

who apparently approves of all this death and destruction because this fuckin’ country is

indivisible,

or, like Rome, at least we think we are—good thing we don’t read history—and if you ain’t noticed yet the rest of the world doesn’t like this country very much and
neither do most of the people who live here

with liberty

out the window, the Patriot Act and Homeland Security keeping all our mouths shut

and justice

well—like Langston Hughes said—she’s just a “blind goddess,” and

for all

we know she went blind a long, long time ago.