Declaration Of Independence
~ Mac McGovern
Alone in the night,
gazing at the beauty,
of a celestial masterpiece,
yet untouched,
by the cover of cloud,
an unrelenting silence,
is interrupted,
by the insistent ticking,
of an old grandfather clock in the parlor,
a candle with a dual wick,
rests on a table,
made of knotty pine,
roughly chiselled,
to add a rustic touch,
accentuating a floor of polished oak,
provides my only light
I sit watching shadows,
flickering across plaster walls,
mimic eerie phantoms,
slithering throughout the room,
refusing to take recognizable shape,
cause unwanted distraction
The work before me suffers,
in stark contrast,
pitifully begs,
text be laid,
to cover the nudity,
of the page before me
The accomplishments of my life,
pale in contrast,
what keeps me awake this night,
the plight of a nation,
will rest on the passion of my words,
my friends and patriots,
rely on a text,
that will take them from anarchy,
to democracy
Shadows appearing to take shape,
play tricks upon my vision,
reveal a sight,
resembling a picture,
of a united,
uniformly defined crowd,
cheering and waving as one voice,
one sound
Suddenly it becomes clear,
the page before me,
fills with pronouncement,
my chest swells with pride,
what's written this night,
becomes page after page,
until,
finally,
to carry a nation,
desiring riddance,
a Declaration Of Independence
