We turn and turn ourselves
Into the question. We turn ourselves against
Its gravity. An axis we defy.
The idea spun
Current as—: an absolute
Value, faith presents a gift
For our unboxing—: between poles.
We are the line women.
Hungry-handed transformers
Handed lightning—: bolts, striking.
Who wants to address America?
When I stand in between
Two poles, I am the absolute value of
The lyric—: I have been
Where she stands.
Between poles she is the determinant
Of—: gravity. A force, she
Stands in| |for
Her own won now. Headline—:
No flag does justice.
She scales the staff
Herself—: unflagging,
She waves.
Copyright © 2022 by Lyrae Van Clief-Stefanon. Originally published in Poem-a-Day on August 26, 2022, by the Academy of American Poets.