Manifest Destiny

A bloodied Donald Trump, seconds after the attempt on his life, fist raised in defiance against the blue sky and an American flag, as a scrum of Secret Service agents surround him. Evan Vucci's photograph quickly transcended reportage to become one of those iconic images that capture something deeper about the human experience.

Naturally, the meme-makers acted first, responding to the moment in ways ironic, earnest, or (as is usually the case with the best of their efforts) a delicate balance of both. More considered essays soon followed, using the image as a springboard for meditations on this particular moment in our history.

For Align editor Helen Roy, Vucci's image holds a deeper, more elusive truth beyond the reach of memes or think pieces. "It seemed to me that the best hope of understanding this photograph's power was through figurative language," says Roy. It was the desire to understand this picture and its already indelible mark on our culture that led Roy to write the poem "Manifest Destiny," which we reproduce below.

—Matt Himes, managing editor

Manifest Destiny

A mere tilt of the chin against the hot wind
Skirted disaster: whirring slug to the head.
Warring worlds brought to heel in the midsummer heat,
Death, pawing, and snarling, and crouched at his feet.
Guards scrambled wildly to cover the king,
Yet he towered above them, ears still ringing,
And raised a fist, and his old, bloodied face,
Unkillable in both body and grace,
Mouthed “fight” as the terrified onlookers screamed,
And red stripes and blue stars surrounded him, framed.