"Oh, say, can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hail'd at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, thro' the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watch'd, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof thro' the night that our flag was still there.
O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?"

Yes, I know that's not the whole song and there are many more verses. But I like this part best. (and it's the one I remember...)




I saw no fireworks today as I sat outside and watched twilight come into the sky.
Living on farm land, far from a town, it was to be expected.
But ohhh, did I hear them. So loudy and clear in the quiet evening. There were fireflies everywhere... flitting about, blinking merrily. It's a pretty sight.
I could have been lonely and had a pity party with myself, but I didn't feel that way. After all, millions of people were sitting outside, enjoying the same patriotic feeling I was feeling. I wasn't alone. I'm never alone.


America has numerous problems and doesn't give off a good impression to other countries... but it's still MY country, my home. And I'm grateful to have been born here. I'm in love with what the flag used to mean and the bottom line of what this country was founded upon. If everyone would just stick to that then things could be a lot simpler, but that just can't be the case now it seems.

I'm moving to London someday. Ironic, the country that brave men and women fought to escape from so long ago is now the country I actually want to be in.
It's not that I don't appreciate the sacrifices that were made, that's not the case at all. I'm openly patriotic and will shout it from the rooftops clad in only our flag!
ahem. But I'm not blind, and I can see very clearly that the old promises of the flag aren't getting anywhere in our conservative country. I won't go into what I do and do not agree with. I don't feel it'd be very polite to do on my art journal.
To conclude, my life, liberty, and the pursuit of my happiness will be better suited in England. But I love my country, very much. And I'm proud to be an American!