What has become of our families,
Of shared experience,
And holidays together?
What has become of love for a brother,
Or a sister,
As we scatter far,
And call less,
And long for the closeness that we once felt?

What has become of my cousins,
And aunts and uncles,
Who I used to hug hello?
A relative died last week,
And I was there,
But not before,
And I wonder why.

The strength of each of us
Came from our families in youth.
Families were once important;
Summer vacations at the beach,
Skinny-dipping in the river,
Sneaking a beer as a teen,
Stories around the campfire.

And I see them now
At funerals.
They look the same to me.
We're a bit grayer,
And worn and wrinkled,
But the smiles are the same,
And there is a history,
Unlike with anyone else,
But it's a funeral,
And no one smiles much.

It's the Fourth Of July,
And it's tennis on the television.
We have a lazy day,
And read a good book.
There are ribs on the grill,
The sound of firecrackers in the distance.
I water the garden
And kiss you gently on the lips,
But we are still alone.

The girls are far away,
And a call does not come.
I know they're busy
Having fun in love;
It's their life now,
But I wish they had saved me a piece.

We have given away too much,
Of what life should be founded upon.
We have focused too much on matters of small importance.
The analysts fill the newspapers,
And televisions,
And countless learned volumes,
With the ills of our society.
They extol the virtues of splinter causes,
And divide us on every issue.
Perhaps there is wisdom there,
But here we are,
Alone on the Fourth of July,
And we see each other at funerals,
And we long for better days.