happy independence day

just turn the corner, the stars are packing up mercilessly.
and i'm staring up at the bombs bursting in air
and i'm pondering the reverance for the ramparts red glare
and i'm wondering how relevant ramparts are
cause divided we stand and together we're falling
on this fourth of july in denver,
i proudly hail the twilight's last gleaming
as i stand sadly white skinned in the perilous beaming
embarrassed and ashamed at what my people have been doing
a progeny of hostages, chattelry grooming
like cattle, like the trade block, like death row
men lined up for their last independence meal
their last independence meal.
it's the fourth of july in denver
and the sky is bursting
the sky is bursting.
--excerpted from "Independence Meal" by Alix Olson

A truck adorned with two confederate flags flying behind it sped through campus the other day. When I relayed this and other stories of my first week back in the Midwest to my father on the telephone, he told me he guessed that I'm now back in "normal America." I told him "normal America" scares me. That's all I really have to say right now on this, the 4th of July.