SUZANNE STRYK

As a girl growing up in the 50s, I remember my father, a WWII veteran, unfolding the US flag on national holidays to proudly display on the front of our house. During those early years, I, too, was a flag waver. I also had a passion for little critters --- pet red-eared turtles and mice mostly, and then later wild birds. And I attended ecology workshops as a teen in the 60s. At that early age, when my membranes were still permeable, I absorbed the basic truth of life. And that truth --- that all life is interconnected and dependent on healthy ecosystems --- fused with my sense of patriotism. That's what my flags are all about.

Some people comment that they think I'm being satirical with my flag images. Nothing could be further from the truth. I'm absolutely earnest, although I realize there's a bit of playful humor in my flags. But it's "playing for mortal stakes," as Robert Frost said of poetry. For I truly believe that the greatest act of patriotism is the protection of the environment and the diversity of life, for doing so we ensure all life might thrive. Is that not truly "justice for all?"