Sterner Stuff
During a time when
a strip of fabric over
your face is protective
but somehow polemical,
I’m scared that the motto
live free or die
will become a prophecy
for my mom and dad.
I can only pray that they’re truly made of sterner stuff.
Sturdy birch torsos
and granite lungs.
Crisp breath from the summit
of the White Mountains.
Respiratory passages
clear and unhindered
like the waters of the
Saco or Androscoggin.
I can only pray their stubborn New Hampshire blood wards off
the plague summoned by their stubborn New Hampshire mantra.
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