Hearing my friend Judy’s maniacal laughter at Hartsfield Airport when she discovered
the bright red lip liner on her eyebrows — applied in the fog of a 5 a.m. rising 

Reading a father’s memorial column to his deceased son, the son who favored a basset
among family pets because you can wipe away your tears with his ears 

Seeing journalist Jamie and her young daughter as they exited Kroger’s,
each with a small tote of groceries — woman and her copy in miniature

Learning to appreciate the distinctive perfumes of tree barks from Stan,
professional pollen harvester, while hiking remote forests in northern California

Experiencing a surge of patriotism toward this land, this America,
on a frigid sunrise walk between the Capitol and Supreme Court