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patriots
stars and stripes on bingo cards and/
a caterwauling and/
a field of loud loyalty and/
an american public spread thin
as thought in church pulpits and/
b-something and i-something and/
the n-word from a loser and/
fingers busy eyes busy smoke and/
a vocabulary of seventy-five numbers and/
a flag by declaration hallelujah and/
god says “it’s good to spend money
with me” and/
betsy ross falls off the chair
of her gentle sewing pose and/
thimbles scatter as mad stars
in the rocket’s red glare and/
a long needle sticks through
her bloomers and/
a long streak bleeds down her leg and/
the pattern will have to do and/
“look,” she adds, “what does it matter,
it’s still about empire?” and/
opiates come in many forms and/
g-something and o-something and/
beer and smoke and salute
when the night’s over and/
tell your wife “screw the politicians,
I’m not voting” and/
this of course goddamn it is what you
fought for/