Looking for America

I’ve felt close to finding America in a dozen places. The wonderful array of glory in the Smithsonians, including the original star-spangled banner. The longhorns in Fort Worth. Driving a big Chrysler down Route 66. Looking into the stark pit of Ground Zero. Lifting my gaze to meet that of Lady Liberty. Fort Sumter a low shape in Charleston Harbor. Little Round Top, Devils Den, Gettysburg. A dozen long and lonely interstates. Niagara Falls linking two nations. The Marina Safeway: Golden Gate on one side, Alcatraz on the other. Or Arizona, oil bubbles leaking to the surface seventy years on.