American Lit

I've got a story to tell And though I'm not sure what it is I'm sure it's funny as hell And tragic and dramatic And personal and universal It's about a boy with stars in his eyes Or, maybe just a man whose Dreams were never realized Whichever one it is It's essential I get it just right Because we are great Americans! Our novels need to be written My point of view must be heard I'll set my soapbox on the mountaintop And bark out every word And the echoes will bellow and billow Over this great Earth Or, am I missing the point? A view from the top Could overlook the hoi polloi In the trenches with the henchmen Is the benchmark of experience Because we are great Americans Our novels need to be written And then the book becomes a film And then the film becomes A modern masterpiece (This is my acceptance speech) And when our bones are burned to ashes And great, great grandkids are doing acid They'll give two shits about all this Insipid brilliance But don't get angry, don't get discouraged Our constant efforts are more than worth it We have our voices Singularly we sing: "Yes, we are great Americans! Our novels need to be written!" So what if they end up with a microfiche At least they landed In the annals of our libraries And then the book becomes a film And then the film becomes A modern masterpiece (This is my acceptance speech)