A Thousand Shards of Glass
Michael Katakis
- A
- visceral
- and
- eviscerating
- lament
- for
- the
- USA,
- the
- country
- Katakis
- loved
- but
- can
- no
- longer
- bear
- to
- live
- in.Once
- upon
- a
- time,
- Michael
- Katakis
- lived
- in
- a
- place
- of
- big
- dreams,
- bright
- colours
- and
- sleight
- of
- hand.
- That
- place
- was
- America.One
- night,
- travelling
- where
- those
- who
- live
- within
- illusions
- should
- never
- go,
- he
- stared
- into
- the
- darkness
- and
- glimpsed
- a
- faded
- flag
- where
- shadows
- gathered,
- revealing
- another
- America.
- It
- was
- a
- broken
- place,
- bred
- from
- fear
- and
- distrust
- -
- a
- thousand
- shards
- of
- glass
- -
- filled
- with
- a
- people
- who
- long
- ago
- had
- given
- away
- all
- that
- was
- precious;
- a
- people
- who
- had
- been
- sold,
- for
- so
- long,
- a
- foreign
- betrayal
- that
- finally
- came
- from
- within,
- and
- for
- nothing
- more
- than
- a
- handful
- of
- silver.These
- essays,
- letters
- and
- journal
- entries
- were
- written
- as
- a
- farewell
- to
- the
- country
- Michael
- loves
- still,
- and
- to
- the
- wife
- he
- knew
- as
- his
- 'True
- North'.
- A
- powerful
- and
- personal
- polemic,
- A
- Thousand
- Shards
- of
- Glassis
- Michael's
- appeal
- to
- his
- fellow
- citizens
- to
- change
- their
- course;
- a
- cautionary
- tale
- to
- those
- around
- the
- world
- who
- idealise
- an
- America
- that
- never
- was;
- and,
- crucially,
- a
- glimpse
- beyond
- the
- myth,
- to
- a
- country
- whose
- best
- days
- could
- still
- lie ahead.
