america

what is america
if not a paper airplane flying contest
and when i was little
i was a regional champion

we would stand at the top of the hill
outside the daycare center
and boast of flaps and aerodynamics
and color pencil sponsorships

and then we would fly

my record was set
when i landed on the roof
of the nursing home
we never even thought about
the heaps of paper amassing
somewhere short of there