Katherine Yarbrough

Grade 8

Teacher: Kay Honeyman

America It is the beautiful It represents what every country wants, Freedom. Freedom for all.

I remember when I was young. One Fourth of July my father drove me out to a big golf course in the heart of Denton. We packed our Frisbee and blankets and hauled them down the dirt trail to our favorite spot. Right near the pond. There we sat and watched the mallards paddle in circles hoping for their next meal, maybe they would find a tasty fish beneath the murky waters, before the fireworks show began. The neighboring children, of all different backgrounds, joined me in my goal of catching a duck for my next pet. We giggled loudly as the ducks made it to the water's edge and waddled toward the woods. We loved to chase the ducks because they weren't fenced in, there was nothing isolating them from the rest of the world. It made for a great chase.

As always, when the darkness crept in and covered the sky like a thick blanket, the other children and I made our way back to our families. From the stadium across the street, we could hear a faint whispering of the Star Spangled Banner. A young African American woman with long raven hair slowly got to her feet and sang with the murmur. A hush fell over the field. Behind me a man removed his cowboy hat, rose to his feet, and sang along. Soon everyone in the entire field was on their feet, singing in sync with one another. Softly at first, then louder and louder. It seemed as though all of our voices had become one. Beside me a woman embraced her two children with tears in her eyes. Although we could not see a flag to sing to, we could feel it in our hearts. I could see the pride glowing on the people's faces. Although the anthem came to a close, the song itself made an imprint on me.

"...And the rockets red glare, the bombs bursting in air..." As the fireworks began to spatter color onto the new moon's empty canvas I thought about that stanza a great deal. That American soldiers go under fire and risk their lives to keep this country ...ours. They protect our rights, our justice, our freedoms. While an explosion of twinkling golden stars fluttered into nothingness I lowered my head and prayed. For the

brave U.S. Soldiers who risk everything to protect the country they love. For the families going through hard times, to work it all through. And most of all for less fortunate countries, that they could have the privilege of living in a land like America.

"...For the land of the free..." I always knew what this line meant. It seemed as plain as day to me. `We live where we are free to do whatever we want.' It wasn't until I was older that I fully understood that other countries didn't have that luxury. That people all around the world wake up every day, and slave, at the mercy of their government.

"... And the home of the brave..." I never really thought twice about this line. To me it : `Yeah I can stand up to a bully if I have to.' It never occurred to me that that line meant the armed forces. Boys and girls, only 18 years old, stare fear in the eye every day. They face a much bigger bully, hatred. These people whose lives have not yet reached their peak, become the greatest heroes of our time.

I nestled myself onto the springy, fresh cut grass and gazed at the most beautiful thing I will ever know. No, not the fire works show. But, a country where all people have choices. In the Declaration of Independence, it states that everyone has the inalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. America grants and embraces those rights. Although that night's show was spectacular, with its red, white, and blue intervals of raining glitter, nothing can be more magnificent than the realization that you have the honor of living in the greatest country on Earth.

We are one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. America means free.