The Heart of America
I am the heart of America
Beating strong amid
The poles and politicians.
I am not my country.
My country is me.
Not a mere part of me,
More life than limb.
I am the drumming you hear
At dawn's early light,
When you are prompted
By pomp or passion
To lend a hand.
I am not defined
Or confined by policy.
I am bigger than all of you
High and mighty,
Poor and stricken,
Friends in need. In deed
This heart beats louder
Than the world's obsession
With physical appearance.
In times like these,
I rise to the occasion,
Above the petty human
Differences deemed so important.
I reach out to you
Through hands of those
Like you.
I am the heart of America.
The human heart,
The soul and backbone
Of all you know of compassion.
I am the entity that
Shines in the face of disaster
Because I feel your pain.