America is a chameleon

Forever adapting, morphing

Caught between what it is

And what it yearns to be

— Harry Seymour

“Isms” coexist with dogmas

Lofty ideals

Enshrined but imperfect

With clashing visions

Of tension and division

In a country like no other

Still, they come in droves

Drawn to a kaleidoscope

Of contradictions

And shifting hues

That blend and collide

In a dynamic vibrancy

Of hypocrisy and hope

For cherished principles

Rooted for almost 250 years

In a melting pot of diversity

A cauldron for chaos

Through stumbles and change

Rarely back, yet pressing forward

Toward visions of equality

Evidenced in the 2024 election

The hardest of glass ceilings

Not shattered, but deeply cracked

By a Black woman

Leaving a glimmer of hope

For what remains possible

For aspiring little girls

And countless others

Pursuing America’s vision

A dream undiminished

Simply deferred.