"Mother Liberty"

My father fought in the Revolutionary War
He died for Mother Liberty
Everything she stood for
He held my brother's hand
Led him through the storm
I watched from the window
My mother's heart full of scorn

The hooks on the mantle stood empty
Spoke loud
Where the gun had once hung
When my hair was a shroud
An ornament, it was
Never powdered, covered with blood
My brother burst in
Did everything that he could

Mama fixed a drink
Hung her head to cry
Still, her hands were numb
Her throat tight, and dry

What I learned that day
Clinging to her thigh
The lobsters took my father
Locked him up to die
The noose they tied
I can't forget
The gun I found
Again, so ornate
Barrel poking from the dirt
Power still in case
My father died like Jesus
He had faith in the human race