ON THE EXTINCTION OF AMERICAN LIBERTY

Once did She hold the threatening East at bay,
   And was the safeguard of the West; the worth
   Of her fell not so far below her birth,
America, fair freedom's seat, they'd say.

She was a maiden power, bright and free;
   No guile seduced, no force could violate;
   And when she took unto herself a mate,
She must espouse, for all men, Liberty.

And what if she has seen 'Old Glory' fade,
   Those proud boasts vanish, her honour decay,
Shall not some tribute of regret be paid
When happiness' pursuit, free men betray?
All souls are we, and grieve when e'en the shade
   Of that which once sought life has passed away.

                    (Apologies to William Wordsworth)