Independence Days

------- Independence Days -------

In the tall grass climb memories of my childhood, 

looking up to seed-heads

like heroes, free atop sunshine

and clouds smiling shadows 

back down upon my little earth.

I remember those days with all of my heart.

Not in a nostalgic way 

of tying myself to a tree I'll never climb again,

but in a faithful way 

of feeling that by befriending the soul of one tree, I will have a friend in every forest.

I have grown older now

and taught to celebrate freedom just 

one day

every year.

But the child inside me

knows the real story

and asks good questions

about the integrity of tradition without intention.

Can we truly celebrate the independence of our country 

while denying our dependence on the land it is built upon?

And he asks because honesty is much more 

than just speaking the truth,

but being it too

in every way.

My grandfather built towers as an ode to an idea,

and it has become my work

to bring them down;

back to the ground

with everyone else;

as our roots are the stones of this earth.

We can all know freedom like we have before,

every day, every year,

when we again learn to look up to what is already free.

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