This is a tragic but beautiful poem. Thank you for sharing! One quote that has been really sticking with me lately, from Mr. John Prine: “I still love America. I just don’t know how to get there anymore.”
Thank you, Stephanie. When I wrote this, I felt frustrated about not being able to afford a vacation, despite working three jobs six days a week. That isn’t including various side hustles I had going, all just to scrape by. It is demoralizing and humiliating to be an American in 2026.
Also, I love the John Prine quote. He sang some beautiful words.
Damn, I’m sorry. I know priorities shift when kids are in the picture.
Also, paid time off is hardly a thing in most industries these days, besides those with unions. And unions have been disappearing since the 1970s at the behest of the 1%.
I work in Fort Lauderdale and regularly meet people from pretty much every continent. From what I’ve gathered, you can be middle-class in every other high-income country and still afford the luxury of traveling. Just not the US.
I know it’s not on everyone’s bucket list. But vacation time is crucial to preventing burnout. PAID vacation time.
Truth
This is a tragic but beautiful poem. Thank you for sharing! One quote that has been really sticking with me lately, from Mr. John Prine: “I still love America. I just don’t know how to get there anymore.”
Thank you, Stephanie. When I wrote this, I felt frustrated about not being able to afford a vacation, despite working three jobs six days a week. That isn’t including various side hustles I had going, all just to scrape by. It is demoralizing and humiliating to be an American in 2026.
Also, I love the John Prine quote. He sang some beautiful words.
I have rarely ever been on a vacation. You tend to blame circumstances… I have three kids… I can’t afford to take off…I don’t have the time or energy…
But all of those circumstances are created by a system that actively seeks to constrain us.
Damn, I’m sorry. I know priorities shift when kids are in the picture.
Also, paid time off is hardly a thing in most industries these days, besides those with unions. And unions have been disappearing since the 1970s at the behest of the 1%.
I work in Fort Lauderdale and regularly meet people from pretty much every continent. From what I’ve gathered, you can be middle-class in every other high-income country and still afford the luxury of traveling. Just not the US.
I know it’s not on everyone’s bucket list. But vacation time is crucial to preventing burnout. PAID vacation time.