By Douglas Lippoldt
Oh to live by a Welsh mountain called Blorenge!
Or perhaps in a cozy place at Stonehenge?
Amidst a grand field of borage,
I’d not have a problem to keep up courage.
But, in my homeland, it all seems foreign,
Nothing rhymes in a land ruled by one who is orange.
Thanks for your poem. It took me to places I’ve lived outside the United States, including the UK. Each of them frequently felt strange and complicated. Britain during Thatcher, Mexico during 2 of their messy presidential elections, and Italy during its regression into dangerous ideas of the past. In none of those countries did I ever feel as alien as I now feel in my own USA. I’m glad to know I’m in good company.
I also reread your 2023 essay on book banning in my state of Florida. You wrote that zealots “could undermine our ability to think critically and to consider the full range of solutions” to bigger problems. Sadly, we now know that is their shameless intent. We have work to do.
Indeed! Thanks for the feedback.