America The Beautiful, a poem

The pause between
“His grace on thee” and
“and crown thy good”

calls for the chord, G7.
A common G is struck with “thee,”
is struck again with “crown,”

but there’s magic in between:
the triad G expands to add
one note (an F), becomes

a “dominant seventh,”
exceeds its own dimensions
in that special space, and

enlivened by my fingertips,
explodes with wondrous power,
inducing salty tears.



James M. Moose