naturalization oath

I hereby declare
to live and die for the promise of a nation unattained, a freedom-song
written in lyrical falsehoods; to seek purpose in an aimless
pursuit, never once questioning whether the destination truly
justifies the journey; I pledge allegiance to the Flag; red as the
blood-soaked soil of this stolen land, white as the bones buried six feet
under hills of forgotten history, blue as an ocean salty from
ever-flowing tears; star-spangled dreams eclipsed by stark
reality, illusory as a mirage in the desert; the way one can bear
true faith and allegiance to a state where truths are
self-evident only for some; to kill for peace and divide for
unity; to support autocracy in the name of democracy; working
harder for less, aching limbs and heavy heart and is this justice?
mind struggling to align with the tongue in its foreign
abode, twisting and contorting into each painstaking
syllable; the way one can say “neighbor” and really mean
“enemy”; when borders are not nature-born but
man-made; when “equality” is both the sentence and the
reprieve; so tell me once more what it means
to be a citizen