The Northville Review
an online literary journal
How to enjoy the fact that you’re an American

Melanie Browne

Make sure you
Can sing Robert
Johnson
Even if you
Like Beyonce, Rhianna,
Or Lady blah-blah,

Learn the dialogue
To Natural Born
Killers, and
Don’t be afraid
To hold a gun,
Even if you never
Shoot one

Don’t ever drive
As fast as James Dean
On a one-Lane
Highway,
But blast the stereo
While you drive
five to ten
miles over the
Speed limit,

Don’t litter,
even though
a few times never
Hurt anybody,

Slow dance in
Your living room,

Don’t worry if
The world hates us,
remember
There’s
No such thing
As bad attention,

Finally,
Learn how
To order a
Chicken sandwich
Like Jack Nicholson
In Five easy Pieces;

Tell em to
Hold the chicken,
Bring you the toast,
And Give you a check,
That way
They don’t
Have to break any rules

About the author

Melanie Browne is a poet and fiction writer living in Texas.