Poetry: “America!” by Margot Douaihy

America!

THE OLD DAYS OH THEY WERE THE DAYS TRUE STORY
US KIDS BOLD AS THUNDER BACK THEN YOU KNOW 
AT MAIN & FIRST ST HE WAITED FOR US UNCLE SAM
HIS GREASY HAIR HIS CRYSTAL-BALL EYES TRUST HIM
GET READY KIDS HE SAID WE WERE READ GET READY
WHERE MAIN MET FIRST SO MANY CARS TRUE STORY
EXPLODING WITH TRAFFIC BUT HE DID IT UNCLE SAM
AFTER SCHOOL HE DID IT HE HURLED PENNY CANDY
INTO THE INTERSECTION YES HE DID HIS WILD ARMS
SWUNG SIDE TO SIDE THE WAY YOU SIGN THE CROSS
AGAIN & AGAIN WE RAN & RAN BURNED THE SOLES
OF OUR SHOES TO GET CANDY WHAT A GAS WE DOVE
KIDS WOULD DO ANYTHING FOR CANDY TRUE STORY
WHAT A GAS UNCLE SAM LOVED WATCHING US FIGHT
CARS SWERVING TO MISS US KIDS DIVING FOR CANDY
VOICES BREAKING NO NO NO NO ONE STOPPED HIM

Margot Douaihy, PhD, is the author of Scranton Lace and Girls Like You (Clemson University Press). Douaihy’s work has been featured in PBS NewsHour, Colorado Review, South Carolina Review, The Tahoma Review, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, North American Review, and Wisconsin Review, among others. She is the editor of the Northern New England Review. Twitter: @MargotDouaihy.

Check out HFR’s book catalog, publicity list, submission manager, and buy merch from our Spring store. Follow us on Instagram and YouTube. Disclosure: HFR is an affiliate of Bookshop.org and we will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. Sales from Bookshop.org help support independent bookstores and small presses.