POETRY
My Oath
January 6, 2021
Note: Below the poem is an audio clip of the author reading the poem.
I took the oath in seventy-two, accepting my commission.
Later, I resigned that job, but never once the mission
of guarding my nation from them who do harm.
Today, with the news, I feel deep alarm.
No longer charged with that position,
there’s little left in my volition,
but to vote, to then respect the count,
and now object when hot-heads mount
attacks on what’s so dear.
It’s time for all to volunteer,
not time for violence in our choice.
So, now I have to raise my voice
and repeat:
“I, Paul H. Harder II, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.”
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Copyright ©2021, Paul H. Harder II
This poem is licensed under a Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0 License.
