Fragile, a word most of us don’t think of when thinking 
of the United States of America, until now, 

but I listen
to the morning awakening with cars and trucks moving 
loudly up and down the street. 

Breakfast is being served 
at restaurants in town. Coffee is percolating. 

A neighbor 
emerges from his house with gardening shears and clips 
dead petals off of the fall flowers. 

Old guys sit around a 
table bemoaning yesterday’s football game. 

Life seems 
pretty normal for a Monday morning. 

And then the networks begin analyzing 
the early morning presidential tweet-storm.