The Summer of ‘98-A Short Story

I remember the summer of ‘98 like it was yesterday. The sun was a relentless tyrant, and the air was thick with the smell of cut grass and dusty sneakers. The neighborhood kids, a motley crew of preteens with scraped knees and boundless energy, spent every waking hour playing street soccer in front of old Mr. Atley’s house. He hated us, and we loved the thrill of annoying him. He was the grumpy Goliath, and we were the plucky Davids, a soccer ball our only sling. The best player on the street was Kevin. He was a year older than the rest of us, with a mop of sandy hair and a cocky grin. He was faster, more agile, and had a way of dribbling the ball that made it seem like an extension of his own foot. He knew it, too, and his constant showboating drove me crazy. I was a decent player, but Kevin always found a way to make me look like a clumsy oaf, stealing the ball from me with a quick flick of his ankle or nutmegging me with a cheeky grin. One day, our game intensified. It was just Kevi...

Fourth of July

It birthed a nation this day

Freeing it from bondage, as it held its own bondsmen

All men created equal under God, whilst slaves remained


These brilliant men

Bold proclamations they made 

Fear for their act not lost

A treasonous act perceived 

A crown in dissent

A sacrifice in the making


Targets on their backs

As in secret they met

To draft a constitution to govern so fragile a union

Assiduous they worked

A new nation to create as one nation under God

A nation of aliens

Each their ideals they chart


Visionaries they were

As far ahead of their time united mainland they sought

Some they seized from the natives that were, others they bought

In the vision of one huge continent as one a nation


Years later EU to note, but that ship already sailed

A fragile unity it has

Overtaken by a country so new by anyone’s standards

Celebrate this day and its founding fathers append

For this nation is the greatest on earth so far

Created by the most brilliant minds of the time


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