Some poetry

American Way
On a lonely night of wine and CSPAN
Two words rattled down inside,
Clunky and heavy like a bad supper
Two words too disturbing to ignore:

Patriotic Assimilation

It came from the lips
of a consummate conservative’s
observations of American immigration:

Patriotic Assimilation

Recalling images of a fevered soldier’s robotic replies,
of passionate sermons over raised fists and flags,
booming cries of leaders wanting no other way...
but their own so-called American way

Let’s assimilate patriotically!
Lets have our houses all painted
in tight lipped hues.
No more
hot greens, rose petal pinks or electric blues
or anything that might suggest
a different anthem.

Better yet,
have the stars and stripes tattoed as
barcodes on our necks…
for are own safety.
English as a language is too foreign,
Why don't we speak American!

Patriotic Assimilation

Lets not treat the these applicants as consumers
shopping for citizenships like Christmas slaves at Walmart,
but lets mouth the language of country and nation.

Letting the infamous trumpet of our forefathers
shake the core of a hopeful individual
down to his knees with clasped hands
for three Hail Lincolns and one Star –Spangled Banner.

Mouthed prayers
shimmering with passion
school children with hands on their hearts
singing words that have always been just a vacant promise
“I pledge allegence to the flag... ”.

The American way they say
of TV’s, football, Big Macs, and malls.
Only here can we consume -democratically.

Let’s live the dream,
The American dream:
the self-made, self sustained, self-contained capital way
of the white picket fence around
acres that promise an estate
stuffed with good life and easy money.

We all can be kings and queens here!
No worries, the pons of your kingdoms will come
all with backs wet and broken tongues.

No fear!
Patriotic assimilation will fix it all.
Like a dry blanket and super glue.

The American way:
the dry turkey on Thanksgiving,
the stale donut,
the cracker taste of dry ramen noodles.

The American Way:
it’s an msg headache during rush hour,
it’s the beer goggled babe,
it’s the sweat of an immigrant’s brow… hoping.

-Claudia Acosta 12/14/05