i am, become...
i am the dust
of the Great Depression,
the bodies falling from windows,
when the stock market crashed.
i am the victims of Mccarthyism,
the troubadour of the working class.

i am the young boy hanging
from the arch above the door.
i am the woman washing clothes
in a stained old sink.
i am the old man stacking firewood,
i am the young man bulletproof.

i am the lovers' cry,
the backseat of a car.
i am the preacher,
the bride, and the groom.
i am the simple hard worked for,
the dream in a baby's flesh...

i am hunger and callous,
i am grit and determination.
i am honest and brash.
i am quiet and respectful.

i am history and hope,
i am invention, and drive.
i am two ears, and one mouth!

i am, and more...
i am America, still being born...
i am, become...

Eric Cockrell

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/i-am-still-being-born/