Today is Abraham Lincoln’s birthday, now celebrated as part of the President’s Day holiday. It is still vital that we honor the passion he bought to serve and save the nation and our better selves.
A Poem of America
My Country, ‘Tis of Thee“, also known as “America“, is learned in grade school and sung at most public and patrioc events. The lyrics were written by Samuel Francis Smith.[2] The song served as one of the de facto national anthems of the United States before the adoption of “The Star-Spangled Banner” as the official U.S. national anthem in 1931.[3] (Wikipedia)
Ironically, the melody used is adapted from the national anthem of the United Kingdom, “God Save the King“. Below is a version using the song’s meter and words to communicate a message in poetry calling for Lincoln’s vision to be realized.
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Frank Barbour Coffin, born on January 12, 1870, in Holly Springs, Mississippi, was an African American poet and pharmacist who owned and operated one of the earliest drugstores serving the Black community of Little Rock, Arkansas. He authored one poetry collection, Coffin’s Poems with Ajax’ Ordeals (The Colored Advocate, 1897), and his poetry was otherwise published in journals. Coffin died on March 1, 1951, in Little Rock. (Souce: Poets.org)