In the tug of war to put nation first,

  people were also turning against each other, of course. 

  "What's all that stuff outside?" 

  "Stuff they can have!" 

  A son close to his mom peered into the boxes.  "I'ma sure they don't need none of that crap." He grabbed a stick and lifted a bubble gum pink colored thong up into the air.  First he squinted and pondered, then he turned more red than an actual beet.  Behind his still, intense eyes a flood of emotions passed before he gasped and said, "Mother!" 

  "Oh that.  Not mine." 

  "Not mine," some motorcycle riding women checked their jacket and sweatshirt pockets to be sure their "change of outfits" were on them.  One mother wrestled one away from a daughter.  She was flabbergasted.  The mom stood ground, "You're father and I are married." 

  "I guess a lot of people might turn out." 

  "I can't remember ever seeing 'em off this way.  But ours wanted us to ride." 

They'd eliminated the competition,

  at the precise moment the "government" was able to "commandeer" anything it needed.  

Communications people in passing...

  "They'd found some of them in what were deemed free spaces." 

  "No such thing really." 

  "Like in shacks, near dams and power plants." 

  "Well, that's why the Parks people created programs where people can come on board work their way in and have shelter while they're getting started."  

  "But listen, we have to head back out west.  What's happening out there?" 

  "Oh my God, girl." Mind flips through the proverbial rolodex of who's who because having come up together in a field, feeding the pigs together, as a French couple taught us about being so "open", you have a feel for where fluid stories may get the progress they need or meet a dead-end.  "Can you handle the details?" 

  A little laugh.  "My husband and I share information because he's military background and I, well, long story short..." 

  Some of us developed cross-reference lists, like whose areas of interest were overlapping.  That was helpful because as fluid reconstituted into hardened activity on an "issue" there was inevitably escalation.  Some newspaper and media centers had some of their best assistants working lobbies and front desks so that the Establishment of "news" could travel fast or be put in a freezer.  It's nearly impossible to rely on news streams to be able to put the brakes on fluid. 

  There were ego fights and face jealousies, but there was also a strong grassroots kindness and learning vibe that went a long way to softening "cut throat" so that the whole nation could get news.  

  We simultaneously addressed needing awareness so that as ratings were disrupted and money wasn't always the motivation for story, we beefed up or strengthened the service aspect of reportorial and editorial work.

  What had happened before our nation re-solidified a unity around Old Glory was that we had indeed been infiltrated.  That's a complex situation.  The military needed "private" and private needed a solid military to reclaim the Homeland.  Otherwise, what was happening to a severly imploding Soviet system and how the Chinese were going about "humiliating" foes and deemed "loser" would have kept happening between friends and neighbors in the good old USA.

"ARE THOSE THINGS

  ON A DANCE POLE OR SOMETHING???" 

  People plucked earpieces and hearing aids out of their ears.  Some shooed away more pain to their personal bodies but kept listening to the combining channels reporting. 

  "Is she deaf or something?"  

  "Honey, are you, going deaf?" 

  "WHY?  WHO WANTS TO KNOW?" 

  "WHERE'D YOU SIP?" 

  "I HAVEN'T SIPPED OR SMOKED OR PEED OR"

  "Shelter in place?  Where'd you shelter in place in port?" 

  "IS HE ASKING ME SOMETHING?" 

 

Acceleration

  As students we were dumfounded that east meeting west wasn't really about pandas. 

  We'd been lured and baited as the "best and brightest" but put into a proverbial blender of "intelligence".  Our parents and guardians had warned us, It's really a marathon.  

  And it felt like that being grounded in Christ.  Like the wild, wild west meets some kind of light show circus.  We'd heard about Expos, but few Americans had a mental grip on how scary "enemy" could be. 

  And it could be anything.  

  A friend was explaining gastronomic nightmare of kafir and oats when the (prehistoric now) electric "cab" slammed on the brakes.  A humanoid, big, tall, metallic black smooth face had stepped backwards off a curb, almost tipped over, reeled around waving its arms to re-balance.  A woman was wagging her finger at the thing until a man revealed the remote box's wires had come disconnected.

  "Leave it to the smart people," a renowned almost not a teenager anymore girl crossed her arms and planted her butt as a guy paid the cursing driver.  "Come on," we dragged her out of the vehicle. 

  Barely a wisp of a wake had drug our raft to barely moving.  Hard tack, 1000 year old fruit bar, "I'll just suck on it." 

  I bet the robot dog could tear off a piece.  One's hand acted like he'd try.  I screamed.  Hands tackled my mouth and face and head and upper body.  The raft tilted.

  You take a turn.  My eyes are stuck open but I'm not really seeing now. 

  Do you know what my mom does when we tell her, It's time; get ready for The End of the World? 

  I know you're mom. 

  She drops everything she's doing and gets the dog's bowl.  

  The man stood and did a slow yoga pose stretch.  As he reached for the sky he joked about lasso'ng the moon.  But there was more of a film of cloud over the moon way off than a clear photograph.  Alright, I'll take it anyway.  Thousands now?  Better than twelve at a time and 

  The water moving almost tossed him overboard.  I was harnessed and vested and with the other 180° view.  What the fuck just happened?  

  I swear TO GOD.  

Our pilgrimage to the concept of home

  wound its way back across the border and jaunting north.  Lots and lots of people were technically in transition like health care and defense budget.  

  A highlight for our family was the release of some political prisoners.  Our mama had done a special prayer vigil and got deemed an "anti-abortion activist".  Boy, did we raz her.  We knew you and Dad were saints, you didn't have to prove it.  She'd made friends with Willie Nelson while captured.  They "supported each others' causes for each other," "But," mama made clear, "My husband and I have never smoked pot and we're not doing that as a family to celebrate.  But thanks.  Nice meeting you."  He was kind enough to stoop down and ask baby sister what she wanted.  Dad dug out a pen and mom had a magazine page with concert dates.  She got an autograph!  

  There were health checks all the way more nortè, and "frugal" people monitoring the travel food supplies.  It's a big job getting people to eat the right foods for them.  Most of us were younger then and were having a glorious time picking from colorful food trucks if we had spending money left.

  The more north we got the more population was pooled as our Navies helped correct the flow of traffic on the seas and all manner of law enforcement, the world over, made adjustments to Port schedules and all that "getting better" in terms of true "safety" entails.