Posted on July 14, 2026 by Jenn Zatopek

WHAT IS FREEDOM ANYWAY?
– On July 4

Today on the alpine tundra we stood with our kin from other nations,
     all of us transfixed as three elk approached the green meadow
while the cold winds blew, all of us astonished by their cinnamon flanks
     and chocolate-brown chests as they bent down to feed on the grass. 

Did you know hurricane-force winds blast through the tundra in winter
     where moss campion flowers, bluebells, and alpine sunflowers
lay dormant, how when spring arrives with her seductive warmth,
     they come alive again and lift their heads to the sun? 

I stood in the sea of humanity, loving the diverse peoples before me,
     dreaming of what could unite us instead of what divides us–
brute force in policies and–a foreign woman smiled at me, letting me
     stand by her as we admired the elk, only the unsayable between us.

Image / Alpine tundra at Rocky Mountain National Park