An American Hymn

Oh say does that star spangled banner yet wave
Sodden with the blood of the dead
And the rocket's red glare, and the bombs bursting in air
And the sound of rolling heads
America, America, God shed His grace on thee
The crown of thorns lacks brotherhood
And justice still can't see.
The steel of a gun opening fire
The black, stinking flames of a funeral pyre
The smoke in the darkness of schemes
The glowing one, the torch that was kindled with the remains of a democratic dream.

When it's been nearly ten years since Sandy Hook
And the violence is fresh in our minds
Parkland, Oxford, a threat at Mt. Abe
We draw on a courage we can't find.
When the stars on the flag are more red than white
And the stripes are of metal shapes oblong
Maybe it's time to wonder and think
Of where we must have gone wrong.