On a recent trip to Maine, my husband and I spent an afternoon at the Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland. One of the exhibits, Re-Indigenizing Sacred Landscapes: From the Wigwam at Catawamkeag, included this graphic by Norma Randi Marshall, an indigenous artist and member of the Passamaquoddy, MHA Nation. (Sorry for the poor quality of the photo.)

For the first Round Up of July, Mary Lee challenged us to write “poems of protest for our nation’s birthday. Let’s use our voices and our art to make some noise! Feel free to write in praise of democracy and patriotism if you’re so moved, or write in frustration and befuddlement over the “leadership” in the White House and/or Congress and/or the courts and/or and/or and/or.“

I love the simple way Marshall presents the deeply complex ideas, so I decided to mine her words to create two opposing acrostics, one that offers hope, the other expressing the outrage I feel over the events of this week.

Respect: What It Isn’t

Reprehensible
Evasion of a
Sworn oath
Putting millions in peril,
Ensuring suffering,
Claiming lie after lie, incapable of
Telling the truth.

Respect: What It Is

Respectful relationships
Ensure our ability to
Sustain and
Protect our precious planet
Earth. It is our duty to
Care for our home and each other,
Treading lightly so we all can flourish.

© Catherine Flynn, 2025

Please be sure to visit Mary Lee for the Poetry Friday Roundup, then check our how my fellow Inklings responded to this challenge:

Heidi @ My Juicy Little Universe
Linda @ A Word Edgewise
Margaret @ Reflections on the Teche
Molly @ Nix the Comfort Zone