my grandfathers fought in the mother of all wars
and they knew they were justified in their fight

one was a marine and the other a soldier
in the army air corps

one lost a brother in Asia and the other
found a wife in Europe

they fought with the images of their
youth in their minds

the images of hardship painted in their eyes

the unemployment lines of yesteryear
were photographed in black and white
lines of misery
waiting
waiting for that paltry morsel
to aid the ailing masses out of work

and they fought with the knowledge
that America was the land of the free
and the home of the brave

but what they were stuck on was freedom

freedom was worth fighting for

the country they called their own was built
on the idea that every man could make his own way

he was free to choose

they fought for the American Dream
that grand experiment that sprouted on a continent
so far removed from their ancestors
but gave an opportunity to every man
and ignored the privilege of birth

every man had a shot

every man had a chance to make it

today the magazines are out of shots
as your neighbor sits by the phone on thursday
waiting to punch in the right combination
to collect his check

there is no image to remind you
no drama to unfold in dreary eyes
waiting

you sit afloat on your porch and wonder
if this sea of debt is worth
the creature comforts you enjoy
if this is the freedom they fought for

wait and watch as they bail out
the banksters
reaping the profit they suck
from the government teat

from your teat

you can only wonder how it happens
as the water rises

every day you go to work
and thankful that you have the job
because even though you hear
them say it’s getting better
you can see the water rising

you can see your neighbor out of work
your brother and your uncle looking
as the bankster drives away in his Maserati
painted red

that’s how it works in today’s American Dream
yet somehow I can’t believe it’s the same
one my grandfathers fought for