Part 1
==In My America …
Following is a collaborative poem comprised of lines by students, faculty, and staff at Penn State Altoona.== Conceptualized and arranged by Erin Murphy, poet and professor of English, "In My America" premiered in April 2021 during National Poetry Month. The project is sponsored by Hard Freight student literary magazine and ¡AHA! (Arts and Humanities in Action), an initiative of the Division of Arts and Humanities devoted to encouraging connections between the classroom and cultural experiences."
Can you guess which lines written by the students and which are faculty?
In My America
In my America, everyone's perspective flashes out like a cardinal's red feathers against the snow.
In my America, snow-covered mountains glisten.
In my America, fluffy white flakes fall as if the world is their snow globe until morning, when the light, sparkling powder becomes a dark, dirty slosh.
In my America, warm colors melt away cold dirty-white snow of a bleak winter, giving way to hopeful smiles and a spring of listening.
In my America, purple crocuses pop up at night, their petals see-through.
In my America, the spring greening is like the earth shedding its heavy winter coat for a colorful and comfortable t-shirt…all the easier to dance in.
In my America, ocean waves glitter in the sunlight as the days brighten, banishing the dark shadows of the world.
In my America, trees, rocks, and moss are comforting.
In my America, simple beauty can be observed in the kindness of a stranger, the vibrant shades of a sunset, or the expressive gaze of a dog.
In my America, mountains rise above the lakes and the trees rise above the mountains like a grand cathedral of nature.
In my America, sun shines through my window, making everything feel lighter.
In my America, bright smiles and bright eyes bring beauty to life.
In my America, coursing rivers and the frosted peaks are admired by all races, ages, religions, and genders.
In my America, sunlight refracts on the river water caps like the flicker of a flame, fleeting and bright, and the sunset covers the valley in hues of pink and purple, bringing the hardworking day to a calm peace.
In my America.
In my America.
In my America.
In my America, kids can’t play freely outside.
In my America, polluted water pours from kitchen faucets.
In my America, drugs cause just as much harm as guns.
In my America, the souls of the 120,000 Japanese Americans interned during World War II have been relegated to a single sentence of a textbook on a dusty shelf.
In my America, it's easy to change your title from Ms. to Mrs., but changing from "he" to "she" is unthinkable.
In my America, justice knows two faces, and the color of the skin determines the guilt.
In my America, Asians are afraid.
In my America, the expectation of black women is strength, even when handling disrespect.
In my America, debates break out at the dinner table over the validity of my rights.