Don’t come early in the morning Neither in the heat of the day But come in the sweet cool of the Evening and wash my sins away - Ralph Ellison

When American life is most American it is apt to be most theatrical.

Words of Emancipation didn't arrive until the middle of June so they called it Juneteenth. So that was it, the night of Juneteenth celebration, his mind went on. The celebration of a gaudy illusion.

I felt that even when they were polite they hardly saw me, that they would have begged the pardon of Jack the Bear, never glancing his way if the bear happened to be walking along minding his business. It was confusing. I did not know if it was desirable or undesirable...