Do Not Stand for My Flag!

James W. Smolka 1950 (Mt. Clemens, MI)



Do not stand for my flag
When the national anthem sounds
If you do not embrace the Preamble
The promise of freedom it propounds

Do not stand for my flag
And pledge allegiance to
If you are bigoted or racist
It does not stand for you

Do not stand for my flag
If you raise a Nazi arm
Or proudly wear the swastika
And wish my people harm

Do not stand for my flag
If you believe in Bible verse
If you praise the Lord in prayer
And deem his child accursed

Do not stand for my flag
If Jews and Muslims you despise
If white power is your creed
And want that they be exorcised

Do not stand for my flag
If Stars and Bars you fly
It bloodied many battlefields
The Stars and Stripes held high

Do not stand for my flag
If craven sexist views you hold
If you disdain our great women
Amazing stories to yet unfold

Do not stand for my flag
Unless you shout equality for all
In your heart underneath your hand
Pledging allegiance, standing tall

Stand for my beautiful flag
If you honor those, alive and dead
For the bravery and the sacrifice
Moving freedom and justice ahead

Stand for my beautiful flag
The glorious Red, White and Blue
If you believe equal rights for all
But when you stand--you must be true
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Written on July 04, 2020

Submitted by jim.smolka on October 04, 2021

Modified on April 25, 2023

1:09 min read
5

Quick analysis:

Scheme Abxb Acxc Adxd Axxc Axxc Aexe Afxf Agxg Ahxh Acgc
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,155
Words 231
Stanzas 10
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4

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    "Do Not Stand for My Flag!" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/111248/do-not-stand-for-my-flag!>.

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