American Lit

I’ve got a story to tell
And though I’m not sure what it is
I’m sure it’s funny as hell
And tragic and dramatic
And personal and universal
It’s about a boy with stars in his eyes
Or, maybe just a man whose
Dreams were never realized
Whichever one it is
It’s essential I get it just right
Because we are great Americans!
Our novels need to be written
My point of view must be heard
I’ll set my soapbox on the mountaintop
And bark out every word
And the echoes will bellow and billow
Over this great Earth
Or, am I missing the point?
A view from the top
Could overlook the hoi polloi
In the trenches with the henchmen
Is the benchmark of experience
Because we are great Americans
Our novels need to be written
And then the book becomes a film
And then the film becomes
A modern masterpiece
(This is my acceptance speech)
And when our bones are burned to ashes
And great, great grandkids are doing acid
They’ll give two shits about all this
Insipid brilliance
But don’t get angry, don’t get discouraged
Our constant efforts are more than worth it
We have our voices
Singularly we sing:
«Yes, we are great Americans!
Our novels need to be written!»
So what if they end up with a microfiche
At least they landed
In the annals of our libraries
And then the book becomes a film
And then the film becomes
A modern masterpiece
(This is my acceptance speech)