Reflections on a famous American landmark;
Profiles in Courage (and Humanity)

Facing America’s Moral Erosion
Reflections on a famous American landmark

George and Tom and Abe and Ted
look at us, though they are dead.
These Presidents carved into rock
must blush at what they see.

Gazing back towards our past,
these four heads of state en masse
warn us of erosive trends
that undermine our dreams.

They can see with eyes of stone
how we’ve reaped what we have sown,
how we’ve gained prosperity
while losing what meant more.

Gratefully, it’s not too late.
Our nation’s plight is not its fate.
If we repent and turn to God,
He’ll chisel down our flaws.

* While driving our daughter to college in Illinois last week, we stopped at Mt. Rushmore. Our minivan overheated in the visitor center parking lot and blew out the radiator. Our trip was delayed and our bank account drained while the vehicle was fixed in nearby Hill City, South Dakota. If you had seen a close-up view of Mt. Rushmore last week, you may have seen tears cascading down the Presidents’ faces as they looked upon our sad scenario.

Profiles in Courage (and Humanity)
Facing the four Kennedy brothers head-on

Four profiles in courage
now are carved on history’s hill.
Four sons of Joseph Kennedy
who had their father’s will.

Each willed to make their family proud
obeying duty’s call.
Each learned to pray the rosary
when they were three feet tall.

Each faced great fear, but didn’t blink
while looking to the left.
Each died much younger than was hoped
and left their clan bereft.

Each countenance has blemishes
betraying secret sins
and yet we chose to overlook
the clay-feet of these men.

Much like the Brits across the pond,
we want our royalty.
We crowned these four with grace to fail.
We hailed them constantly.

The Brothers K were hardly saints,
but in their fallen state
they served us most courageously
and made our nation great.