By Jamie Cooper

The first flag of our family
Is a tricolor flag
& like most flags it is a flag
of independence
though it must abide by the laws & protocols
of its use
its coat of arms
an omen of victory
an Aztec emblem:
an eagle on a cactus
with a serpent in its beak
for every citizen & soldier to salute.
The subsequent European flags
are marked with X-shaped iconography
Saint Andrew’s Cross
as he suffered an X-shaped crucifixion
a prominent white X
blazoned on an azure field
rather plain
& like most flags it is a funeral flag
like the Union Jack that flew
steadfast over so many thrones
whose colorless X intersects
the cross of St. David
a flag whose emblem occupies
the territory of so many other flags
& of the two domestic flags
another flag marked X
an emblazoned star for each confederate state
along the ecclesiastical lines
an oblong flag like all the others
& like most flags it is a battle flag
but not a flag of victory
rather a relic of some former sovereignty
& all of its fallen & defeated sons

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