Written by Louis Faber
In a time of war I took an oath
to serve my country and its constitution.
If called upon today to take such an oath
I would have only questions:
Am I white enough to serve?
Am I your version of Christian enough?
Can I swear fealty to he who would be emperor?
Can I turn my back on ethics?
Can I offer no compassion to those in need?
Can I demand more for those who have enough?
Can I aid in the erosion of the Constitution?
Can I find a compassionate, democratic place
that would accept me when I
refuse to aid and abet the slow,
painful destruction of the nation
I once took an oath to serve?
.
Louis Faber is a poet and writer. His work has appeared in several anthologies and in The MacGuffin, Cantos, Alchemy Spoon, New Feathers Anthology, Flora Fiction, Dreich (Scotland), Prosetrics, Atlanta Review, Glimpse, Rattle, Cold Mountain Review, Pearl, Midstream, European Judaism, The South Carolina Review, and Worcester Review, among many others, and has been twice nominated for both Best of the Net and the Pushcart Prize.