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I look into your face and see
My face, my eyes, my heart.
Are you my mirror? Or am I yours?
Or is this just America?
I pray to you as of old,
With all my soul and might.
You lift me up to wealth and power.
Or is this just America?
You are my father, friend, and guide,
To whom I speak each day.
You are the helpmeet by my side,
My wind, my will, my way.
And yet . . . and yet . . . there is a rush
Of things that like a veil
Hides me even from myself.
Or is this just America?
Time takes me timeless downstream, as I
Watch you watching me
Motionless upon the shore.
Or is this just America?
I try to do what you would do
Were you being me,
But no one I know acts that way.
Or is this just America?
You are my father, friend, and guide . . . etc.
And yet . . . and yet . . . you are a void,
A name without a name.
I praise you through a pane of glass.
Or is this just America?
And yet . . . and yet . . . you seem detached,
Or is it I from you?
Or are you living in my heart?
Or is this just America?
Copyright by Nicholas Gordon. Free for personal or non-commercial use.
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