America: An Appreciation

On the anniversary of this fair country's 231st birthday, please indulge me in some doggerel commemorating the more offbeat things that make living here such a privilege.

I love wide four lane highways
And endless skies across the plains
The big way a Texan says hello
The New York skyline when it rains

I appreciate gas station restrooms
And when barbecue falls off the bone
The thick air inside a blues bar
The patch of grass you call your own

I love palm trees when it's windy
The crashing waves of both coast seas
The battlefield of Gettysburg at dusk
Languid sunset in the Florida Keys

I love an ice cold Shiner Bock
And the chophouses along Michigan Ave
San Francisco's summertime fog
The freedom of expression we have

I love The Dells in Wisconsin
The word "fusion" in cuisine
Footballs games in the Autumn
Voodoo parlors in New Orleans

Nathan's hot dogs at Coney Island
Square dancing and country fiddle
Bowling alleys and water skiing
Politics clearly struck down the middle

The 7th inning stretch in baseball
Fireworks on a clear fourth of July
Halloween, drag queens and salsa
Living life fully before we die

Fried chicken, fast cars and laughter
Not afraid to dance out in the streets
The easy banter with strangers
Our ability to smoke and cure meat

You know I love a good Waffle House
And the architecture in old Newport
Mountains in Colorado and Utah
Fly fishing as a gentleman's sport

Lobster roll and cole slaw
Bake offs and country fairs
Tailgate parties, The Ahwahnee Lodge
Mooning someone simply on a dare

I love the barbershop in a small town
And the original Starbuck's drip venti
I think you'll agree we're truly blessed
To enjoy such a land of plenty