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| John Brown homestead, 1995 |
Preface
"The Collapse of
America" is a long poem that I began in August 2019 and completed in
January 2020. • What impressed me about America in the past
no longer impresses. Instead of American confidence I now see empty bravado;
instead of greatness I see a country that is a caricature of its former self;
instead of democracy I see excessive wealth and power in the hands of a small
minority; in other words, I see a country on the edge of moral collapse. That's
what I'm talking about, a country on the edge of moral collapse. • Many
of us were very fond of the United States, we used to travel back and forth
across the border on business, as tourists, visiting family members, or just on
day-outings to buy a few groceries or see a movie. But our porous
Canada-America border, "the longest undefended border in the world",
has lost its once friendly nature. A few years ago I saw sharp-shooters lying
on the roof of an American border crossing building, their guns aimed at us,
tourists who wanted to spend money in the United States; at LaGuardia Airport
in New York City I was questioned by a woman customs agent after I said that my
wife had packed my carry-on bag, "isn't that suspicious?" she asked;
well, no, I saw nothing suspicious in it at all. • I never wanted to write on politics, just
talking about politicians makes me feel contaminated by them. Politicians are
shapeshifters instantly assuming whatever disguise they feel will convince you
of their integrity and the correctness of what they say. In his
essay, "Up to Easter", Matthew Arnold writes, "Nothing I
should like better than to feel assured that I should never have occasion to
write on politics again. I write on other subjects with much more
pleasure." Stephen Morrissey April 2020
