Sometimes we become so accustomed to certain things that we stop paying attention to what they mean. I really like the song "America The Beautiful," but wanted to look at it through fresh eyes. Here is what it could mean if we examine it through the eyes of others.
O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain...
As I lie on my back, I can see through the gaping holes in my tent's roof. The sky is dark and ominous and the the fields surrounding me radiate a searing heat thick with insects.
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain...
The Missions engulf the valley and sandwich the cherry orchards between themselves and the lake. I've picked fruit all day and my back aches and joints ask for relief.
America! America! God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea...
This is my country, too. My grace and redemption intermixes with poverty and transience. I've experienced both brotherhood and bothersome behavior directed towards me.
O beautiful for pilgrim feet,
Whose stern impassion’d stress...
My shoes are tattered and worn and I haven't considered anyplace my home for years. Some days the weight of the world crushes me and other moments I experience joy over the smallest accommodations.
A thoroughfare for freedom beat
Across the wilderness...
Freedom is the ability to direct one's actions in an unencumbered manner. I've lived moment-by-moment for so long that planning ahead makes my head ache. Every nook and cranny of this Valley has both accosted and welcomed me.
America! America! God mend thine ev’ry flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law...
I can be content with little and this is the secret to life. I cannot control how others treat me; only my response. There are signs telling me where I can and cannot go and my résumé has more holes than a fishing net.
O beautiful for heroes proved In liberating strife,
Who more than self their country loved,
And mercy more than life...
I gave my heart and soul for this country. I've visited foreign shores in the name of America and sacrificed the best years of my life. The toll taken on my life has produced scars you will never see and I cannot recover with inadequate treatment. So many of my returning brothers are homeless.
America! America! May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness,
And ev’ry gain divine...
I have nobility but it doesn't pay rent or hospital bills. My character allows me to sleep peacefully but does not satisfy the rumblings in my stomach. Success for me is a clean shower or donated clothes. I have gained much but divinity does not keep me warm at night when chills erupt throughout my body.
I do love America. It just seems to love me less in return.
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