i’ve heard stories of the fall of babylon
and read books about the fall of rome
i’ve seen the faces of american ghosts
waiting for the fall to occur at home

i’ve heard talk of dove and hawk-
talk of herding others toward freedom-
i’ve heard allegories of birds and shepherds
crafted to disguise the truth of intention-
metaphors inappropriate for the realities of which i speak-
of agressors costumed in righteousness-
of blood crossing water for oil-
of blood spilled at home-
of falwell and phelps-
of byrd and sheppard

tell me-
where will you go for the truth?
tell me the symbols you look for on nights
when you are no longer convinced of your own righteousness-
tell me how you tune out the voices you know to be true-
the voices that cut you down with undeniable force-
we are those people, they say,
this is that america-
this is that america-

this is that america,
they say to sgt. engeldrum of brooklyn-
a firefighter who survived the crumbling
of towers in america-
only to die overseas-
this is that america,
they say to lance corporal rund of littleton-
a boy who survived a high school massacre-
only to die overseas-
this is that america,
they say to adams-
to carter-
to hinojosa-
men who’ve survived their wives
as they’ve died overseas-
this is that america-

so tell me-
where will you go for the truth?

i have heard the voices of those who call out in their sleep-
lost in american dreams-

i have heard them echo
from across the bay bridge
and throughout the badlands of new mexico-
i have heard them echo
through colonias and mississippi trailer parks-
i have heard them grow distant as they trail off-
the echo reaching its end-

i have looked to poets and preachers and politicians-
i have looked to lawyers for justice-
i have looked to doctors for healing-
to save the dream
or prove it a lie-

(there was a doctor who followed it out to the desert
after losing his savings in the casino-
the gambler sent him to pay off his debt-
the patient died in his sleep, the doctor said-
he tried to revive him
but medicine proved insufficient-
his last breath stolen
from within the depths of a lucid dream-
the patient died in his sleep-
unaware but not blissful-
the doctor said that he never had a chance)

so tell me-
where will you go for the truth?
tell me-
what truth do you seek?
there are no truths that come wrapped in flags-
no truths given by divine hands-

i’ve got no use for flags-
i’ve got no use for god-
i’ve seen the power of faith
claiming lives as towers fall-
i’ve seen the power of pride
tortured by its supposed liberators-
i have seen what your world has to offer-
it will not suffice-

but tell me-
where will you go for the truth?
tell me who you look to-
tell me what your objective is-
there are no objectives left
and objectivity is an obsolete word-
your goals and objectives belong to an obsolete world-
the war is over-
you have lost

your continued participation in the struggle
is no different from the japanese soldiers on remote islands who fought world war ii until the 1970’s-
change is created by the passage of time-
the future is unavoidable-
any victories you achieve are shots fired in a war that ended
before it began

your hatred of the unknown is obsolete-
your hatred of the future is obsolete-
your hatred of yourselves is obsolete-
your hatred of your children is obsolete-

the human animal has evolved past these petty hatreds
and fears and there is no longer
room for those who harbor them within the species-

the evolutionary war has been fought-
those who cling to outdated institutions
and expired traditions
as a way to justify their own ignorance and fear
have lost-

what remains is the last neanderthal
swinging a club at the head of homo sapiens
in an attempt to damage the advanced creature
in an act of denial stemming
from his own inability to accept
that his day
is done-

your traditions hold authority no longer-
we will take them-
remake them-
until they resemble the potential
we see in our own reflection-
this is not your world anymore-
not the world of the agressor clothed in righteousness-
not the world of hawks and doves and shepherds-
your hold on it is slipping-
this is not your world anymore

so tell me-
where will you go for the truth?