The American Flag 2 Poem by DM W

What is the American flag?
But a floating chain of signifiers
From light seeking liberty
To pug faced patriotism.

Some say they'd die for
This flag - or rather the ideal
It seemingly represents.
Others prefer to simply burnt it.

Its colours are revealing:
Red stands for hardiness and valour;
White for purity and innocence;
Blue for vigilance and justice.

Some say its famous stars and stripes
Symbolise imperial glory
But at what expense
To less ‘civilised' nations
While others suggest that they represent
Unity and freedom from tyranny.

I find Jasper Johns' less striking,
Ghostly, monochrome version intriguing:
Where many voices of dissent
Seem to be eerily silenced
With stars and stripes submerged
Under thick paint and beeswax.