Farewell, America: The Long Goodbye

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times

Photo by Ken Anzai on Unsplash

Dear America,

When I was a mere child, my kindergarten class learned to sing “America the Beautiful,” as a tribute to a land we believed in. From that tender age, my heart was filled with admiration and hope.

As the years have unfolded, I found myself bearing witness to your slow and agonizing descent, much like a lover lost to the cruel grip of addiction. It has been a harrowing journey, one that has left me aching with the pain of watching you fade away, crumbling beneath the weight of your own undoing.

You were once a tapestry woven with vibrant colors and threads, a haven where time felt gentle and forgiving, a symphony of laughter and connection. As a sanctuary for communities to flourish, the warmth of a neighbor’s smile was a beacon of hope, even in the darkest of hours. Not everybody felt your warm embrace, of course, but there was always the hope that one day that would change and everyone would enjoy equality. Not perfect, but always striving, there was a pulse of progress, a shared heartbeat that echoed across your vast expanse.

You held the promise of a dream, that lofty ideal that whispered to us, “Invest your heart and soul, and together, we shall rise.” It was a covenant that our efforts, our dedication to you, would bring forth a harvest far greater than what we had sown, a legacy that would ripple through the generations. We believed, hand in hand, we could build something beautiful, and at the end of our toils, a gentle twilight awaited, where we could bask in the fruits of our labor.

However, the winds have changed many times since my childhood, and your once-bountiful fields have have become unbearable and unkind. The roads we trod are now choked with the relentless rush of hurried lives, stalled dreams, and unyielding turmoil. The melodies of connection have become a cacophony of discord, and the once-shared vision has splintered into a thousand fractured shards.

The landscape of your heart has shifted, my love. The threads that bound us together have frayed and worn, and in their place, we find ourselves entangled in a web of loneliness and despair. The sweetness of hope, which once nourished our souls…