Poetry by RC deWinter:

not quite independence day

startled by loud rumbling in the sky i checked the radar 

saw nothing ominous there and then remembered 

it’s almost the 4th of july and these growls and pops 

must be fireworks launched by someone 

who just can’t wait to celebrate america

i smiled wryly – wondering – 

given the state of the union –

just what there is to celebrate 

laws are rewritten almost daily

none of which are in the best interest 

of the integrity of a supposedly free nation

women are once again enslaved to biology 

the first amendment is a shredded rag

white is still right is gay no way

and the health of the planet has been handed over 

to those who will profit from its destruction

and closing my eyes jumped on 

the wayback machine when to be American 

was almost the imprimatur of god 

as my smile melted migrated north 

and became the salt water of reality

© 2022 RC deWinter @rcdewinter.bsky.social

RC deWinter’s poetry is widely anthologized, notably in New York City Haiku (NY Times/2017),

The Connecticut Shakespeare Festival Anthology (River Bend Bookshop Press, 12/2021) New Contexts:3 Coverstory Books, April 2022) in print: 2River View, Event Magazine, Last Stanza Poetry Journal, Lothlorien Poetry Journal, the minnesota review, Plainsongs, Prairie Schooner, Southword, the ogham stone, York Literary Review among many others and appears in numerous online publications.