“Democracy” by Patricia Leavy

with each concrete step
each deliberate step
watching the barren trees that line my way
my heart fills with anticipation
the others walking the path
feel it too
pulsating in the crisp air
it happens on this day
when who we are
meets who we can be
and we become
vessels.
It is my turn
I approach the ballot box
lightened by the weight of history
and my responsibility to her
I know that America is not a place
or an idea.
America is an action.