somewhere over new jersey

(on a flight from jfk this summer.)

taking photos of clouds. with my

iphone. why? because. because i

never cease to be amazed at this big

country of ours. the skies, the roads,

the crickets that sing loudly in our

neighborhood at night. the way

californians tell you it's all good,

no worries (even if they're worried).

the way new yorkers are in a hurry.

the way you can get moon-pies and

mallomars at a highway rest stop &

you can find yourself fighting tears

when a bunch of kids sing about fruited

plains. i never stop loving how we can

fight over our amendments (which give

us the rights to fight over them) and tell

people what we really think (in print, in

black and white, in color; we can tell

people, and no one has the right to tell

us not to) and i never stop loving how

we keep trying to do the right thing.

we do, almost all of us- and if we keep doing

so, we'll probably get there. to the right thing.

and, in the goodness of that, we can keep

being the place that people from all over

the world come to for the freedom that

jefferson and lincoln and m.l.k. and you &

i talk about. and depend on. & live for.