My friend Rev. Dr. Thomas Sabel and I have known each other since 1972. Tom served in the U.S. military, is a professor, and is a Lutheran pastor. He is also a very good poet. Dear America is a set of 22 short postcards Tom wrote to his country: part love letter, part complaint, from someone who still cares enough to say what hurts. We are publishing them in five parts, all at once, in the order Tom wrote them. — Robert K. Green, Ph.D.
Dear America,
Did you forget the excitement of landing on the moon?
Dear America,
I know 9-11 was a tragedy, but must it always color our days? Even the dead need their rest after so many years.
Dear America,
If you could do it over again, would you still give up on King George or try to find a way to compromise?
Dear America,
I wanted so much to believe the promises that you could never keep. I wanted so much to hope in your history. Was I naïve or merely “too late smart”?
Dear America,
How did it come to this? I loved and I believed that you loved me. If you fell in love with another, this would be easier. You show me too well that the opposite of love is indifference.
Which postcard would you send to America? Leave yours in the comments.
Read the whole series: Part 1 · Part 2 · Part 3 · Part 4 · Part 5
Poems © 2026 Thomas Sabel. Published with the author’s permission.
