Two hundred and twenty some-odd years ago
Farmers and merchants led by landowners
Threw off the yoke of a distant king
Creating a small republic with few friends.
Through rape, exploitation, slavery and anger
The republic built an empire and changed the world.
They built new nations, rebuilt some old ones,
Made more friends than enemies, and earned a lot of money.

The land of my birth celebrates its freedom today:
The freedom to lead nations, or destroy them,
The freedom to enslave friends or liberate them,
The freedom to love, hate, build or destroy,
According to the wants and needs of you and I.
Freedom is a tricky kitten though;
Hard to hold onto when it wants to play,
Harder to chase off when it wants to stay,
And closer to slavery then some believe.

The nation of my birth celebrates Independence Day
In movies about war, parades about peace,
Smiling women in open cars, veteran's scars,
And fireworks as bright and harsh as battlefields.
Conflict is not so far from contradiction after all,
Peace another pause between endless wars,
Progress another reason to enslave, and
Freedom's another word for nothing left to loose,
Nothing left to gain, and nothing left to learn.

Or is it?

Greyhawk (a.k.a. Brian K. Miller) is an American expatriate living in Japan with his Japanese wife and their two children. When he's not busy chasing children, doing laundry, washing dishes, cooking dinner, consoling his working wife, or feeding the kid's turtle, he writes. Once in awhile he actually sleeps!

http://www.greyhawkmanor.org/