Sitting at my desk, the countryside looks the same outside my window.  Gently rolling hills. Trees showing the first signs of spring.  Greenery replacing barren tree limbs.  Vibrant color where there was none.

Reading at my desk, the country is unrecognizable.  Wildly roiling voices.  News stories reporting signs of liberty ending.  Greed now the American Dream.  Darkness where colors once complemented each other.

Sensing the moment is more than just fleeting.  Hubris attacking humility, kindness ridiculed as weakness.  Rule of law threatened.  Hitler glorified.  Feeling unsafe.  Perhaps better to seek refuge sooner rather than later.  Looking northward toward a land where people are known as nice.

Anathema now the national anthem.