Lament for America. a poem by Jameson (Jason) Chee-Hing

Lament for America
Jackboots on the ground!
I hear jackboots on the ground
That unmistakable sound
Of black polished leather
Smashing onto asphalt
That thunderous thud of spit polished boots
Striking the ground in unison
Worn by young men
Idealistic young men
Who believe their cause to be true.

In far away lands they dream
One day they will live in America
The American dream
Free expression 
Rule of law
Where no one is above the law.

America what have we become?
Half-truths are now the truth
Truth shading is the lingua franca
Say it often enough
And the foolish will believe.

A populist leader feeds on the ignorance
Feeds on the baser instincts of men
There is mistrust and fear in the air
He spreads his gospel to the world
There are many takers
Goebbels you must be smiling
That evil smile
Somewhere in the afterlife.

America, 
Fearful of the desperate from foreign lands
They want to live the dream
The same dream as our forefathers
Who themselves emigrated from foreign lands.


Jackboots on the ground!
I hear jackboots on the ground
That unmistakable sound
Of black polished leather
Smashing onto asphalt
That thunderous thud of spit polished boots
Striking the ground in unison
Worn by young men
Self righteous young men
They believe their cause to be true.

We have forgotten the past
Or conveniently cast it aside
But I remember the jackboots at Kristallnacht
And I remember the jackboots of Il Duce
And the jackboots of Franco
And the jackboots of Peron.

Jackboots on the ground!
I hear the sound of jackboots
That unmistakable sound
Of black polished leather
Smashing onto asphalt
That thunderous thud of spit polished boots
Striking the ground in unison
Worn by misguided young men
They believe their cause to be true
Ready to stomp on the faces
Of anyone that does not look like them.

Jackboots on the ground!
That unmistakable sound
Much closer now
I hear jackboots outside my door
Are they coming for me?
Are they coming for you?

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Jameson (Jason) Chee-Hing is a poet, essayist and writer. His poems have been featured in several anthologies. Jason writes about relationships, social justice and the human condition. He grew up in the inner-city neighbourhoods of Toronto, Ontario. Jason can be reached at jchee-hing@sympatico.ca .

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