On Mulberry Bushes

"Permit me to say"

(said the future

Chief Justice of

The budding new nation

To those men

Assigned by History

The task 

Of birthing it;

                    or words

To the effect)

          "Whether it
Wouldn't be wise

And reasonable

That only a natural

             born citizen 

be allowed to hold

               the office

Of the presidency -

                   who is

To be as well

The Commander in Chief

Of the nation's military - 

                 lest there be

Any foreign influences on

                     the person?"

"Why, yes," said the

Constitutional Framers

In near unison.  

             (A suggestion

Put forth at the time

Was that the person

In the presidential office

Need only be a 'citizen'.

Which was subsequently

              turned down

              in favor

Of this more strict

Condition.)  

                "That stands

To reason."

And so it was.

                      Until

A man slipped in

To the office 

Who did not fit

The qualification

All unbeknownst

To anybody

At the time.  (One 

(Chester Arthur 

by name.)

             And then

Came Barack

            Hussein

            Obama

In his emperor's

New clothes

Beknownst to all

             as a dual

Citizen.  Most

Pretending

It didn't matter; some

Actually not knowing

Better.  (Not taking

Their role

In a self-governing

Nation 

More seriously.)

             "Oh no,"

                      some

Of the knowing said

Smugly; 

       "that expression

Only applies to

Naturalized citizens."

"Why is that?" one may

Logically ask;

     "what's the difference

      essentially

      between a

      naturalized citizen

                      and a

      dual citizen

      when the concern is

About dual loyalties

Or allegiances?"

"Oh no," comes the reply

Nonchalantly;

               "it doesn't apply

To Obama

Because

It doesn't apply

To Obama"

                is the 

Pat answer

In effect..

                 "And that 

Is that," is the implied

Threat, firm

              response;

              intended

  to head off any

Remonstrances,

             legitimate

             objections

             over

The issue.

              And thus

        around

And around

We go; 

        from a Caesar

        in one period

Of Time

To another Caesar

           in another

           period

Of Time.

The only difference

             being

The reason given.

Plus ça change...

  

        And here

We thought

It would be 

Different

In a society

            where

The People were
             to be

Their own masters.

          What fools

We mortals be…

                    …until

We realize

         that we

Are not mortals

After all

Essentially

And start living up

                 to

Our essential selves

             instead

Of settling

For less

                as we

Have done

                for

Long enough

Now.

And if the chips

                  off

The old identity

                 fall

In difficult ways?

Tough.

            Something

More important

Then comfort

Is trying

To come through.

And that is

The Truth.

Before which all

Must fall

             by

The wayside.

       For we

       are

On a journey.

       Not

A stay

Essentially.

You might as well

Get used to it.

It's the way

           things

Are to be

From now on

On our way

Back

To our beginnings

    in pure

Spirit

    after our sojourn

    in the wilderness

Of our making

To learn lessons.

             And then

Move on

                back

               ultimately

               to our better

Natures

Than here

         in our

         Illusion
Conjured up
         in order

         the better

To see ourselves

By

Like a mirror

                   or

      a mulberry

      bush

      instead of 

      a burning

One.

--

P.S. And on the subject of this nation's history, and the attitude of the Founding Fathers on such as ours being a government for a people sovereign in their own right, and not subject to a king or a pope, despot or oligarchy, and thus taking personal responsibility for the governing of their nation; a pertinent quote just come across:

"The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions, that I wish it to be always kept alive...I like a little rebellion now and then.  It is like a storm in the atmosphere."
                                                                                                                 - Thomas Jefferson

Amen, T.J.

And how far the party of Jefferson and Jackson has come from its roots……