Ted Littleford
When the British finally left New York
We declared an Evacuation Day
That was celebrated for years
With huzzah and hooray
Now only historians know it
And that’s okay, still we have July 4th
And other patriotic days
Yet I wonder if in the years to come
A few of us, survivors, will declare
Yes, we were part of it, we were there
When in the course of viral events
So many were lost and so much spent
And then eventually we’ll also forget
The Day The Virus Finally Left
That seems, alas, both far off and near
As half of us wear masks, the other swills beer
And it keeps rolling wave after wave
Across the Land of the Free and the Brave.
Dependence Day
The athletes play in stadiums that are stilled
The parades are silent, with no fife, no drums
And while we’re at our private grills
We’re thinking of the waves to come.
Let’s salute the United States, these 244 years
Yet independence from England was the point
Not you from me, sisters and brothers,
Not black from white, not from each other
In Covid times we need to find new ways to adhere
To mark the glories and shed the tears
Any ideas, please send them our way
Maybe let’s start with July 4th, 2021, as Dependence Day.