A Psalm for America

Let us give action to our finest impulses,

people of this great free land…

Let us be superior to our fears,

to the easy prejudices,

to the ugly urge to hate,

to the poison of arrogance,

to the quick judgment,

to the coward’s tactic of bullying,

to the stubbornness of always being right,

and to all things that demean,

and discredit, that hurt and ruin,

that drag all of us away from our

giant selves so capable of love…

Let us lift our voices in praise

of life, in celebration of the

human spirit that

wants, that craves,

that needs goodness…

Let us fall on our knees

in awe of children,

of the wise,

of the brave,

of the undaunted…

Let us clap our hands

and stand in honor

of soldiers and teachers,

of librarians and therapists,

of gardeners and wait staff,

of flight attendants and firemen,

of street vendors and retail clerks,

of nursing aids and grill cooks,

of bartenders and stay at home moms…

Let us speak up for the unspoken,

the disabled and the displaced,

the addicted and the abandoned,

the alien and the derelict,

the different and the defeated…

Let us be kind and benevolent,

deeply spiritual and love directed,

smart and knowledgeable…

Let us be gritty,

stalwart and rugged,

salty and resilient,

undoubtable and human…

Let us dream and imagine,

build and create,

work and achieve,

practice and perfect…

Let us be great Americans,

but let us never be afraid to be

citizens of Earth,

to honor all humans everywhere, and

to learn to live graciously,

triumphantly,

intelligently,

in this big wide world.

© 2013 Timothy Moody