Gunpowder Press welcomes Santa Barbara’s first Youth Poet Laureate, Madeline Miller! We are honored to present her poem below.
america in june
america, i love you
with no stars in my eyes
love like each cell of my own body
dying out of duty, letting me live.
love like a mother
cleaning the feces off her infant child
both of us grimace at the stench of it
but still we go on.
and i do not wish you pain
though i’ll carve you open with a knife
trust me, i aim to be the surgeon
not some cheap halloween slasher
i will save you if i can.
but america, how should i spend my barbeque afternoon?
celebrating the small victories?
every good thing we have we have in spite of you
and democratic change is like bending iron with a feather
must we crawl on our knees with our hands raised,
begging our government for mercy?
someone up there is holding our fate like a bird in their hands—
they are squeezing.
they are going to call you the Court of Injustice
america, do you love me?
say yes and i’ll spit in your face and call you a liar
but say no and i will try you for treason.
i would pull the stars right out of the sky to make you right
—i would sear the skin clean off my hands
but all we’d have left is seven rivers streaming red
a flag for our history,
but where is our future?
darling, do you love me?
well what the hell are you going to do about it?
About Madeline Miller
Madeline Miller was born in Mexico City, Mexico and raised in Santa Barbara, California by her father, a pastor, and mother, an educator, and like her parents, she has always valued language arts and education.
She is the president of the San Marcos Writer’s Society and Vice President of the San Marcos Gender and Sexuality Alliance. She is also the Vice President of her school’s advanced women’s choir, Enchante. Madeline has competed in a number of poetry slams, including two first place titles at the 2021 San Marcos High School Poetry Slam and the 2021 Santa Barbara County Poetry Slam. Her poem “Bird Song” was published by the Santa Barbara County Arts and Culture Office. Madeline works as an assistant at a local law firm, and recently completed an internship with the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. She is involved in the Way Collective and other community activism, and will continue to be involved in the community during her gap year.
About the Youth Poet Laureate’s Role
The Youth Poet Laureate serves for a period of one year, during which they participate in ceremonial, educational, and cultural activities encouraging community members to develop their own voices within the county.
Youth Poets Laureate represent and celebrate the richly diverse communities of Santa Barbara County telling their stories and shaping the future narratives of the communities to which they belong. More about the program on the Santa Barbara County Youth Poet Laureate website.