A flight of energies in persistent pursuit above a ground of vivid contrasts sundered by errant rays of hope. The hidden center is the only point of order. All else is touched by restless asymmetry. Just so the idea of freedom is surrounded by uneasy ironies. A strain of opportunism and exploitation threaten to plunder America's once proud dream. Venal greed and feigned reverence do not constitute consensus, they make only conspiracy. We still have a few heroes, myths, masterworks but they are fast devolving into potential commodities, readily consumed and ultimately expendable. Meanwhile we who would choose neither to exploit nor to be exploited find ourselves at bay in a divided land.