The Art of Liberality

The Art of Liberality

The liberal arts are under fire

In lands of liberty...

 

And I am confused

Aren't you?

 

For it seems so normal to me

To act so liberally

In a land so vast and free

Running on Democracy.

 

For as I see it,

   Free men breathe free air walking freely

And really, yes, really

   There is an art to liberty.

 

There is a certain degree of cultivation

One needs to apply

In growing freedom, getting it just right,

Trimming away a little of this and

Adding a little of that.

 

This is a grand art, indeed,

With as many possibilities as there are

Stars in the sky

And try as you may

You will not exhaust them

'Til the end of your days.

 

That's why it's great to be Americano in

A colony comprised of libertine artists,

All attempting a mastery of the will,

All dreaming of scheming on cosmic canvas

A masterpiece of earthly proportions.

 

That's why it's great to be Americano

With our Rock-n-Roll-Blues-Jazz-A-go-go,

Our youthfully dancing 'til the dawn,

Delightfully adrift on the wines of the world

And wishing for but just one more moment to perfect the night.

 

Ah, such noble occupation is self-sovereignty so

Why am I so confused?...

 

I'm  confused because confusion abounds

And freedom is stifled as my feet sink

In an ever-rising tide of useless labels

That serve only to seperate, alienate,

And regroup men by their insecurities.

 

I'm confused by the ease at which men

Can turn away from Liberty, avert their gaze,

And walk languidly to their beds

In some hope of of sleeping away the gifts

Given them by their forefathers.

 

The liberal arts are under attack.

 

Ignorance is her assassin.

The weapon, Fear.

It is hidden in our food

And once eaten,

Free men are free no more.

Reviews

[E. M. Murren]

This is a poem to stand up and cheer. I like this a lot. Fear does drive us into our holes and away from freedom. Powerful write.

[The Autumn Faerie]

Thought-provoking, indeed.

Never before has our country seemed so out of sorts, at least, not since the Articles of Confederation, but let us not get quite so off topic, here.

I do believe this was an excellent piece of poetry. It well defined its point, yet I could see deeper measures within it.

I found few issues with the piece, but one I would most like to point out is your use of because in, "I'm confused because confusion abounds." I am not entirely sure as to how you could better word that, but something else is needed. "Because" is simply too distracting from the flow.

Also, on another note, try to avoid contractions, they, too, distort flow. Words, as a whole, tend to make a piece flow better, as well as seem more significant in a literary standpoint.

Overall, written very well.
I wish you luck in all your literary endeavors.