As a high school teacher, my students and I recite the Pledge every morning. Over time, I have observed that fewer students stand for the Pledge each year, and those that do recite the Pledge use a bored, monotone voice. It's as though they don't remember or know what those words mean. Given that we have soldiers fighting and dying in Iraq and Afghanistan, this lack of awareness angers me. I did some research on the meaning of the Pledge, noting that the words have changed over time. Most notably, the words under God were added in 1954 and have been subject to a case before the U.S. Supreme Court. Fueled by research, imagination, and angst, I wrote Thirty-one Words.