SUCH IS THE LAND WHERE I LIVE

I live in a land that’s known for its might
Where freedom’s light is shining bright.
Where every race, color and creed
Finds full expression in word and deed.

Arid deserts and snow-capped mountains,
Rivers and lakes and natural fountains,
Islands, marshes, gulfs and bays,
Make it grand and varied in many ways.

Many things make this a rich great nation:
Fertile soil and lush vegetation;
Hidden from view are also found
Oil and minerals underground.

Here many like to experiment,
Inquire, debate, and invent.
Breakthroughs which were here made
Increased knowledge and global trade.

Inventions that came from here,
Have gone to countries far and near.
Whether refrigerator or electric fan,
Car, plane and foods in can.

Cinema from still photography,
Radio from phonography,
TV and the news broadcast,
Came from here, for ever to last.

From this land more things have come,
Like Coke and jeans and chewing gum.
Farms they have of immense sizes,
And achievements earning Nobel Prizes.

It is built on Judeo-Christian values,
But also permits other doctrinal views.
One may worship and also pray
What one chooses in one’s own way.

In times of famine and earthquakes,
With food, money, and whatever it takes,
The people of this blessed land,
To others have given a helping hand.

They have limitless freedom of speech
Such as is elsewhere not in easy reach.
Human rights are sacred here,
Law is the only source of fear.

Art and music have flourished
Whose expressions are well cherished;
Of jazz, Westerns, and Broadway show
Millions beyond this country know.

Sports do capture the minds of all:
Hockey, football, and baseball,
They love every spectator game,
Tennis or a game with another name.

Yet, it must be said, for this too is true:
This is a land of contrasts too.
With all its noble rules and laws,
This land has some serious flaws.

One is this rather naive belief
That to all problems dollars give relief.
Generous hearts and minds so free,
Thrive here, but also bigotry.

The laws on which this land was founded,
Enlightened though once they sounded,
Did not ban for long the custom old,
By which humans were bought and sold.

Though eliminated after a civil war,
It has left on the nation a terrible scar
Whose vestiges, alas, still remain,
With lingering hatred and too much pain.

This country has used its awesome might
In many a war and paltry fight,
Whose justification has sometimes been
Morally wrong or simply mean.

It is unacceptable when it dictates
Its values and views to sister states;
As if it has the God-given right
To direct the world with its military might.

By its penchant to often interfere
In the affairs of others far and near,
This nation has been much berated,
Its flag has oft been desecrated.

Such is the land where I live.
To it, respect and love I heartily give.
To reach its ideals, it has ways to go,
But it is striving hard, this too I know.