leonardcohenforum.com

July 4th

You and I
We hold these truths
In our independent hands
Anyway on any day
And take the liberty
Selfevidently
To pursue our happiness
On any date
Including of course
With all the force
Of our body soul and heart
And our lips and our laps
This Great National Fourth
And you and I
As equals create
From our mind's estate
A union anew unlimited
Not only on this
Celebrated winy drunken
Independence Day.
And that is why
We dance
In the streets
Today.

Happy Fourth of July, to you, Tom ~ and everyone else who observes or celebrates it!

I like the way your poem speaks of how true freedom manifests itself. Not restricted to a particular day or to be experienced in a particular way, but wholly in many ways. Dancing in the streets seems a universal symbol for freedom that I've always loved.

~ Elizabeth