America - 2018 / 148 words

America – 2018

I think about our history,
this land from “sea to shining sea.”
I’ve seen the turmoil and division.
Our strength remains in our shared vision.

Our founding fathers were great men
that captured, with parchment and pen,
foundations for our liberty
and pledged their lives as guarantee.

“We the people…” Words of power.
United, we no longer cower
from the threat of tyranny.
Three simple words that set us free.

We’ve made mistakes along the way.
Some choices have led us astray;
dark times of war within – without –
have tinged us with great fears and doubt.

Yet through it all, we’ve held the dream
that we are much more than we seem.
America! We've stayed the course,
our vision is our guiding force.

More than two-hundred years have passed.
and still, we stand, in sharp contrast.
“A shining city on a hill…”
It’s tarnished but it’s shining still.

An entry for "Monthly Poetry Contest" 
Prompt: "America" Must be used in the poem and needs to stand out in the poem!
Word Count: 148