One learns to own it...

London, Easter Sunday evening, 2011

One learns to own it 
when a Frenchwoman asks
what other languages you speak
then nods and says, “A real American.”

There was the Canadian
and a man from Taiwan I met at Notre Dame.
He and I ate dinner somewhere I can't recall in Paris
though I do recall our waiter and the green beans.

I checked my pack in Holy Head
at the Irish Ferries terminal
and later boarded the shuttle that took passengers
out to the ferry's mooring on the pier.

She said her name was Vera,
and she asked if I was Irish.
I recall her saying something like
“Oh, President Obama!”

I nodded, feeling awkward that I hadn't voted for him.
Her accent came from Africa.
She said, “God bless America.”
And I was humbled by her generosity...

...and grateful for my President.