The Pledge
And in 909 million years
these words will be chanted
by great crowds of people
all over the galaxy
but no one will know the language
no one will remember the meaning
they will mouth the phonemes
mispronouncing some of the words
reverently
every day
at the beginning of school
[bracketBracket] 
Oh my…so very strong…and perhaps more true than it should be…well said.
I teach in a middle school where every morning every morning all the students and adults stop wherever they are, put their hands over their hearts & recite the pledge in unison. Even the most rebellious school-hating, anti-authoriy kids comply without question. If I’m talking with a teacher in the staff lounge, and there are no student around, when that pledge comes over the announcement system they will stop talking, stand & recite it, like they are pre-programmed to do so. Even in the hallway, people will face the approximate direction of the nearest flag, even when none is visible, and do the pledge. It’s like being in a sci fi cult movie.