The Flag Is Upside Down

The flag is upside down, but many wave it proudly

The nation is upside down, yet, “We’re Great” is shouted loudly

The raw saw of Jim Crow, or a woman’s word worth a dime?

Is that when we were great? Again. Or for the first time?

When children breathed black coal, or the Great War to end them all?

Is that when we too, were great, or when slums began to sprawl?

‘Black lives matter’ say some wise ones, to care might make us great.

Refugees of climate disaster plea for help that comes too late

We are in fact, quite powerful. You could say we’re a GREAT force

inhaling fuel like wildfires, whipping ocean winds off course

Clearing every tree and diving deep into smart devices

We forget the waters, air and food, that crumble into crisis

The flag is upside down, let’s look at red, and white, and blue

Red hateful rage, wealthy white men, blue oceans rising too

Red Russians, white privilege, blue smoke from smoking guns

Red, white and blue blame everywhere: parents, daughters, sons…

The flag is upside down. All is played for win or lose

The flag is upside down because the emperor has no clues

Most people are truly good, though weary of Old glory’s weave

They yearn for liberty and justice, and just need to believe.

The flag is upside down, and perhaps a little frayed

But our values are intact — if you look deeply, still displayed

Peace is a universal prize. Fairness is fought for daily

A New Earth is always in the works, people struggle for it bravely

The flag is upside down. But look at us from satellite

And you see there is no up. No down. Just a sphere of blue and white.