an 1876 version of the Declaration of Independence‘It Goes Without Saying’: A July 4th Poem by Warren Bonham The Society July 4, 2024 Beauty, Culture, Poetry 11 Comments . It Goes Without Saying “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” —the Declaration of Independence Self-evident truths were once taught in this nationand caused us to issue a bold Declarationthat showed how our rights had been, through usurpation,infringed to the point that we sought separation. United we stood behind that resolution.Excited we fought in that great revolution.Our victory in battle secured restitutionof rights we enshrined in our new constitution. We firmly rejected tyrannical voices,so now “We the People” can make our own choiceswith everyone equal, not one of us greater,endowed with rights granted us by our Creator. Still flawed but pursuing a more perfect union,made possible only when we’re in communionremembering truths by which, if we are guided,we’ll be a great house that’s no longer divided. Self-evident truths will remain true whateverthe time or the place, and they stay true forever.They go without saying but still must be statedso we won’t forget we’re uniquely created. . . Warren Bonham is a private equity investor who lives in Southlake, Texas. NOTE TO READERS: If you enjoyed this poem or other content, please consider making a donation to the Society of Classical Poets. The Society of Classical Poets does not endorse any views expressed in individual poems or commentary. Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to print (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)Trending now: 11 Responses Roy Eugene Peterson July 4, 2024 Warren, I wholeheartedly endorse your marvelous poem with all the key trappings of the Declaration in evidence. This belongs in educational institutions as a way to amplify our beloved document. Reply Warren Bonham July 5, 2024 I hope you had a great 4th and I’m glad you enjoyed this poem! The documents the founders left us have so much wisdom in them. Reply Phil S. Rogers July 4, 2024 Thank you Warren for a great poem this Independence Day. Let us hope and pray there will be many more. Reply Warren Bonham July 5, 2024 This country has weathered so many storms but the rot that is now accumulating within may present the toughest challenge. I hope we’re up to it. Reply Yael July 4, 2024 Nice! Happy Independence Day to everyone. Reply Warren Bonham July 5, 2024 Ditto. I hope everyone had a chance to recharge their batteries yesterday while thinking about how unlikely it was that this great (but imperfect) country ever came to be. Reply Margaret Coats July 5, 2024 Wonderful idea, Warren, to take the Declaration’s “self-evident truths” and fashion a poem that “goes without saying.” Even better to make note of why we say something nonetheless. The whole poem exhibits a lively rhythm, and if a speaker is short on time, the last two stanzas alone make a good Fourth of July recitation for listeners to take away and ponder. I plan to bring them out for future Independence Days–and hope you had a happy one this year! Reply Warren Bonham July 5, 2024 Thanks! You nailed the intent of the poem better than I could have. Our founders did a great job of enumerating the limited number of “capital T”, timeless Truths. We now spend all of our time ignoring those Truths while we argue over “lower case t” truths that change all of the time and do nothing more than create a massive distraction. The founders wouldn’t be very impressed by what this generation has wrought. Reply Brian A. Yapko July 5, 2024 Warren, this is a strong, patriotic poem which sets forth the founding principles of our great nation and our struggle against tyranny. Your words are wise as you invite us to review and renew these principles. I especially like your observation that “we’re in communion/remembering truths by which, if we are guided,/we’ll be a great house that’s no longer divided.” And I especially appreciate your invocation of our Creator who has endowed us with our rights. In God We Trust. Thank you for this poem. Though late, I wish you a Happy Independence Day! Reply Warren Bonham July 5, 2024 Great 4th yesterday (spent far away from the Texas heat). I hope you enjoyed yours as well! Thanks for the supportive comments. If we got back to In God We Trust, we’d do well as a nation. Reply Susan Jarvis Bryant July 5, 2024 A timely reminder of who we are and what we stand for in melodious stanzas that let us know exactly why we celebrate Independence Day. Let’s hope your heartfelt words inspire all those who see freedoms ebbing away to try that bit harder to keep them. Warren, thank you! Reply Leave a Reply Cancel ReplyYour email address will not be published.CommentName* Email* Website Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Notify me of new posts by email. Δ This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Roy Eugene Peterson July 4, 2024 Warren, I wholeheartedly endorse your marvelous poem with all the key trappings of the Declaration in evidence. This belongs in educational institutions as a way to amplify our beloved document. Reply
Warren Bonham July 5, 2024 I hope you had a great 4th and I’m glad you enjoyed this poem! The documents the founders left us have so much wisdom in them. Reply
Phil S. Rogers July 4, 2024 Thank you Warren for a great poem this Independence Day. Let us hope and pray there will be many more. Reply
Warren Bonham July 5, 2024 This country has weathered so many storms but the rot that is now accumulating within may present the toughest challenge. I hope we’re up to it. Reply
Warren Bonham July 5, 2024 Ditto. I hope everyone had a chance to recharge their batteries yesterday while thinking about how unlikely it was that this great (but imperfect) country ever came to be. Reply
Margaret Coats July 5, 2024 Wonderful idea, Warren, to take the Declaration’s “self-evident truths” and fashion a poem that “goes without saying.” Even better to make note of why we say something nonetheless. The whole poem exhibits a lively rhythm, and if a speaker is short on time, the last two stanzas alone make a good Fourth of July recitation for listeners to take away and ponder. I plan to bring them out for future Independence Days–and hope you had a happy one this year! Reply
Warren Bonham July 5, 2024 Thanks! You nailed the intent of the poem better than I could have. Our founders did a great job of enumerating the limited number of “capital T”, timeless Truths. We now spend all of our time ignoring those Truths while we argue over “lower case t” truths that change all of the time and do nothing more than create a massive distraction. The founders wouldn’t be very impressed by what this generation has wrought. Reply
Brian A. Yapko July 5, 2024 Warren, this is a strong, patriotic poem which sets forth the founding principles of our great nation and our struggle against tyranny. Your words are wise as you invite us to review and renew these principles. I especially like your observation that “we’re in communion/remembering truths by which, if we are guided,/we’ll be a great house that’s no longer divided.” And I especially appreciate your invocation of our Creator who has endowed us with our rights. In God We Trust. Thank you for this poem. Though late, I wish you a Happy Independence Day! Reply
Warren Bonham July 5, 2024 Great 4th yesterday (spent far away from the Texas heat). I hope you enjoyed yours as well! Thanks for the supportive comments. If we got back to In God We Trust, we’d do well as a nation. Reply
Susan Jarvis Bryant July 5, 2024 A timely reminder of who we are and what we stand for in melodious stanzas that let us know exactly why we celebrate Independence Day. Let’s hope your heartfelt words inspire all those who see freedoms ebbing away to try that bit harder to keep them. Warren, thank you! Reply