The United States

Throughout the collection, the author makes repeated allusions to the United States. Because the collected poems are primarily concerned with American politics and culture during the 2020 COVID-19 era, such references to the nation background the poems' thematic explorations. In each section of the collection, the author makes allusions to the States' past, present, and future. Such references underscore Gorman's belief that in spite of the nation's fraught history, together, American citizens might bond together in pursuit of a new, better, and more perfect future.

The Capitol

The author references the Capitol building in the poem "DC Putsch." In this piece, the speaker is remembering and reflecting upon the events of January 6. She particularly notices the shock of witnessing "men / & women mobbed, chased, dragged, beat & killed within the / shadow of the dome of the Capitol" (100, 101). The descriptions of this day originate from an article titled "The Riots...