A Patriotic Poem: And Everything In-between

— by Wasakalobo (W.A. Schmidt)

And Everything In-between

Nationalism is no cure
For our world’s great ills
No social entity is “pure”
The sheer idea instills
The dread of inhumanity
Of prejudice and hate
Of heart-wrenching calamity
And agonizing fate
Dehumanizing not just those
Poor victims of its wraths
But also, those who stoop so low
The jingo sociopaths
Conscience, compassion and goodwill
Of those who do the deeds
Are numbed by chauvinistic thrill
The victims are just weeds
Who they just want to disappear
For their inclusion would
Expose the razor-thin veneer
Of “cultured” nationhood
That’s based on soil and blood and kin
With duties but few rights
Not common values from within
That shine the brightest lights
With their universality
On us as humankind
And our shared humanity
With ties that deeply bind
And since it’s values that link us
Together as one race
Discrimination’s not a plus
But rather a disgrace
Hence patriotism’s real linchpin
Takes this into account:
Forget looks, colors of one’s skin
Values are paramount
Unalienable basic rights
And help for those in need
Are a true patriot’s core fights
The essence of her creed
Patriotism thus abhors
The nationalistic craze
That’s led to history’s endless wars
And man’s profound malaise
That feeds on insecurity
On ignorance and spite
Denies others their dignity
And sets a force alight
That strangely warps, even destroys
One’s mind and heart and soul
Consumed by finding whipping boys
Exerts social control
That negates one’s identity
Pretending otherwise
A fake superiority
It’s weakness in disguise
They claim their nation is sublime
Their tribe, their race, they rule
Love of the Other is a crime
The errands of a fool
Yet when the Others still attract
Enrich and make us whole
Love supersedes that artifact:
One’s group as one’s sole pole

© W.A. Schmidt 2018