On Pondering the Possibility of Another Great Depression...

Sarah Janisse Brown

I am America, and I am free.
Today I am free to flip a switch, and light appears to fill the room.
Tomorrow I will still be free, even if I must light a candle instead.

I am America, and I am free.
Today I can fill up my tank, and travel to the city.
Tomorrow I will still be free, even if I must borrow my neighbor's horse to travel to the nearest farm.

I am America, and I am free.
Today I can go into the grocery store and fill my cart with food.
Tomorrow I will still be free, even if I must go into the field and fill my bucket with potatoes.

I am America and I am free.
Today I can turn a knob in my kitchen, for water warm or cold.
Tomorrow I will still be free, even if I must bring my water from the spring, and boil it over the fire.

I am America and I am free.
Today I can pick up the phone to call my mother, my aunt and my grandma.
Tomorrow I will still be free, even if I must pick up my belongings and move in with my mother, my aunt and my grandma, because none of us can afford to live alone.

I am America and I am free.
Today I can cash a check, our use a credit card to pay for the things I may not really need.
Tomorrow I will still be free, even if my cash is worthless and I must barter soap for seeds.

I am America and I am free.
Today I can turn a dial and relax as warm air floods into the many rooms of my home.
Tomorrow I will still be free, even if my family must huddle close and add another log to a fire that warms a one room cabin.

I am America and I am free.
Today I can make a hobby of going deep into the woods for turkey and for deer.
Tomorrow I will still be free, even if I must use my gun as a means of my survival until we all grow weary of the gamey taste of venison.

I am America and I am free.
Today I can type an email to congress, or fill my blog with silly pouts and satire.
Tomorrow I will still be free, even if I must learn to make my own paper and pluck a feather from a bird to make my pen.

I am America and I am free.
Today I can chase after comfort, credit, and security.
But tomorrow I will not be free if I prefer these three things above my liberty.
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