Hi Gabe, I’m so not good at poetry but thank you for your kind comment. The particular line you reference is one I struggled with in the piece. I don’t actually think the United States has ever been a true light with convictions. It’s always been tainted and hypocritical. For me this reference to light can refer to the ‘shining city on a hill’ or the ‘thousand points of light.’ But here I also thought about the election of Donald Trump. That was an opportunity to be a light that we lost.