Dec 11, 2014 1 min read

I recognize that poetry is not the usual format for letters to the editor, but the subject at hand struck me as more amenable to poetry than prose.

“America”

Are we at heart so cruel and blind

We can’t find love for all mankind?

We preach and pray and say we care

But in the end we will not share

Is skin so black or eye so weak

We miss the soul that lies beneath?

We say we love and understand

But then refuse to lend a hand

In a land of peace and brotherhood

You’d think we’d all be understood?

Instead, we live in hate and fear

And do not see and do not care

When written down it sounds so fine

I mean the “liberty and Justice” line

But in the end it’s just a farce

We are a land where love is sparse

Bracken Burns

Washington

Editor’s note: Burns is a former Washington County commissioner.