Community Corner
A 13-Year Old's Poem For Independence Day
On the 4th of July, a young person asks "Is that spirit of independence that was part of our American history still in our genes?" and other questions.
The following poem was written exclusively for Patch by 13-year old Jack Kaiser of Killingworth.
He is the son of Elaine Kaiser and Reese Hutchinson, and grandson of Don Kaiser of Clinton.
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Jack will be an 8th grader at the Haddam-Killingworth Middle School this fall. A typical 13-year old, he likes video games, You-Tube, Eminem, hamburgers, pizza and the Yankees.
This summer, he and his family are hosting two foreign exchange students: Kathleen from Havana and Gregwald from France.
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Reflecting upon these visitors and their backgrounds celebrating "freedoms," Jack's grandfather thought that 11-year old Kathleen most likely "has no reference point for freedom and independence since she has lived her 11 years without real freedom and independence as we know it under the Castro regime."
"Indeed what will the future be with all these ideas of what freedom means to many different people and cultures in the world?" asked Don Kaiser.
Already a published writer at a young age, Jack's poem "Remembrance" was published in the Clinton Patch (and other Patch sites) on Memorial Day.
He and his grandfather are collaborating on a book about vineyards and restaurants.
Thoughts about Independence Day by Jack Kaiser
Soldiers dying, Families crying!
All for Liberty
Guns a glow, time so slow, our future is yet to know.
All for Liberty
We have risked it all
To make this call
To continue to seek our destiny
All for Liberty
A child must grow
And learn to know
All that is just
On their own
All for Liberty
After reading this poem, Jack posed several questions to the reader:
Does today's generation feel we need to have dependence on our government to provide everything for us and have control over us?
Or is that spirit of independence that was part of our American history still in our genes?
So what about today?
How important is our freedom and independence today?
Is it as strong as our patriotic forefathers felt it was in yesterday?
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