Real Shock and Awe
More powerful than was imaginable,
We are almost in a state of collective shock/awe.
The promise -- Antigone before the king comes to mind -- wonderfully hard to process.
He looked as a man with providence; the opposite mirror of Bush.
There was humility inside it.
He was even careful not to get too frenzied -- gave a soft landing.
Sober, reflective, determined... emotional beyond words.
The world looked to America... we showed our best.
For one night at least, the world was sane.
The planet sighs in relief and deserves a righteous party.
We have beaten back the worst in ourselves, the old and inevitable forces of cynicism and greed.
No more patriotic primates to rule the roost.
Real change will take sacrifice, vigilance and will.
The bailout of Wall Street, the wars and the final gorge of the right wing must be stopped now, a return to Keynesian balance.
Bottom up instead of top down.
The gold standard that every human has value -- be awarded respect, dignity and opportunity --
The currency of grace.
A wave of renewal and possibility.
And now the real work begins.
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If Senator Barack Obama would have lost, he would have been just as gracious with his words as Senator John McCain was.
This is truly a man of honor and I believe we all recognized that, that is why he won.
I volunteered to work the phone bank last weekend and I saw first hand how dedicated his supporters were. The volunteers that I met consisted of;
five men, 3 white, 1 an admitted Republican, 2 black, 4 black women, 1 white woman (that was me).
I considered it a privilege to be in that room and witness the commitment we all had. We were not just spewing out talking points; if we were lucky enough to speak with someone that actually had a question we all had an intelligent, educated answer to their question. It sort of made me feel like a "Community Organizer"!
I don't think it is necessary to identify myself as a white woman that supported a black candidate for The President of the United States anymore.
So, I must say that for the FIRST time in MY life, I am truly proud of my country.
I think you get it now?
Because the bigotry has been erased. Do you get it now Cindy? Have a nice life "MY FRIEND".
I'm having my Denny Craig Moment, sitting back basking in the glory of a battle hard won, fair and square. Aahh! Sweet justice indeed.
Adding "Poet" to your CV, I see.
'The world looked to America... we showed our best'
Indeed it did, and the world sighed a huge relief and roundly applauded.
'for one night at least the world was sane'
I'd like to suggest an edit here.... 'for one night at least, America was sane, to the rest of the world.'
I just noticed your poem. I finally managed to create an account that works on this site.
I like the line about the planet deserving a righteous party. That's for sure, after all we've been through the past 8 years. And yes, the hard work is still ahead.
I wish I felt happier about the election, but all I can think about is how many steps backwards we've been taken in the past 8 years and how much work it will be to catch up. I've felt only a sense of relief this week, not really happiness, unfortunately.
You know what I enjoy about writing poetry? It's a way to condense something into a few lines and express it very quickly and powerfully. I find it helps me get something written when I'm struggling to express something. Poems are to writing like sketching is to painting, at least for me. Is that how it works for you, too, I wonder?
Keep writing, John. I like reading your blogs.
Oh, yes, Laura!!! Poetry is the very essence of one's view. The view of a particular soul, which has so many existencial queries. A poet needs to express a varied mixture of feelings, emotions, perceptions and so on. Your words may be noisy or quiet. You may like poetry or loathe it. Readers of poetry generally feel reactions of different kinds. Such reactions are expected to turn up. But there's an exemption to the rule when an indifferent attitude is shown. In my opinion, poetry is the philosophy of one'own, based on: personal thoughts, memories and sensations.
If an eau de toilette is a novel and a perfume is a short-story then, a poem might be considered the very extract , both ephemeral and evanescent.
Your blogs, John, are really interesting. I do enjoy them, just as most people do.
'The currency of grace" -I really like those words...
Something of a bygone era, almost in reflection. Yet somehow we forgot, destroyed after Camelot, then war, watergate, excesssive-ism and more. I thought about those words and waited a couple days thinking "The currency of grace" .."The currency of grace" will we be better by the exchange of gracefulness, I know that people who look graceful and act graceful are treated with dignity. And, maybe that's what we have gained, restored, renewed; our dignity. How amazing that we as a country, and a people are unified and dignified again. It will be hard, but nothing great ever comes from nothing and we have had nothing long enough
I am so sorry for our country. Our men and women of the military with a future promising to abandon all they have fought for. Our security left in the hands of those like J. Napolitano (AZ) who can't even manage our local borders, education, and security and Obama who is friends with known terrorists and racists. Our economic crisis only to grow with Obama's promise to bankrupt the coal industry putting millions out of work and even more having to deal with increased electricity and heating costs.
I am one of those "patriotic primates" and will in the spirit of our Constitutional rights and all that our country stands for, support Obama because he is our president. However, I do hope my worse fears are proven wrong and those childish words "I told you so" are not needed. God bless America I am praying for you.
you may not know it yet, and it may take a while to accept, but your prayers have been answered. God has indeed blessed America. and, sir/madam, i am proud to be your countrymen because you, in the spirit of our Constitution, support Obama as your president. we have a long hard slog ahead because of what we have been subjected to these last 8 years, but together, as Americans, we will make it through. God Bless America.
nmdigiac. I; proud of you, really, for being willing to give the new guy a chance. I have seen so much negativity, downright hatred in so many blogs, it is really depressing sometimes. Then I see and hear Barack speak and he refreshes me and makes me hopeful. Please participate as much as you can to better this country. Write your Congresspeople, read, listen, stay well informed and engaged. Write to Barack at change.gov. We are the government if we take responsibility. Things are not easy right now for a lot of us.Making it better will be no walk in the park. Probably the worst is still ahead. But as a people we will find our way to better days, believe me, if we can get through the hatred and resentment of people who think our country will be made up of "concentration camps" for those who opposed Obama and would turn into some awful dictatorship. Witness the crazy uptick in gun sales! It's insane! Why would Barack want to destroy the very society that let him get where he is? I'll be praying, too, for the safety of him and his family, for our country, for all the people who are so bitter (yes, he was right-just didn't phrase it too well). It's hard to live a bitter life. It's much easier to feel that you are doing something positive and hopeful, even if you don't always agree with the means. Bless you!
YOU'RE A THOUGHT PROVOKING AND POIGNANT (SP?) WRITER, AND I ALWAYS ENJOY YOUR ARTICLES IN THE POST. THANKS FOR TAKING THE TIME.
I hope everyone will take a few moments now that the election is over and write or email your state senators and representatives to request that congress immediately addresses two items:
Overturning the Patriot Act and restoring our Constitutional rights
Election fraud protection in fhe form of regulations, so that we never have to sweat out another election cycle worrying that it'll all be stolen
"For one night at least the world was sane"...I would add awake and aware...fi
YES REDISTRIBUTION FROM WEALTHY TO POOR AS CUSACK MENTIONED!!!!
THANK YOU CELEBS!!!
YOU MADE THE CHANGE !!!
AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR GENEROUS DONATIONS, PEOPLE REALLY NEED IT IN THIS CRISIS.
NO MORE MANSIONS!!!!!!! 1 HOUSE 1 CAR FOR ALL GREEN IS HERE!!!!!!! YEAH CUSACK RULES!!
If one chooses to use their disposable income to attend a certain entertainment venue, purchase a DVD or CD, or buy a book, that is their business. This is how celebrities earn an honest living from the public. If you can't see the difference between that and the criminal inequities currently espoused by the politico/corporate structure and healthcare industries of this country, then I feel sorry for you. If you honestly don't believe that our sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, innocent civilians, and country were sold out in a blood for profit war in Iraq, then there's no way to convince you otherwise.
I'm sure most celebrities who agreed with Obama are intelligent enough to accept with understanding the correct version of his vision for "redistribution".
WE ALL NEED TO DO OUR PART IN THIS CHANGE!!! THERE IS NO MONEY LEFT IN THE SYSTEM.
WE VOTED FOR ECONOMIC AND GLOBAL CHANGE, IT WONT CHANGE IF PEOPLE KEEP CONSUMING LIKE THEY DO AND ACT IRRESPONSIBLE
CEOS NEED TO PAY.
THEY WILL COME AROUND AND DO THEIR PART!
THE LEADER WILL GO AFTER THEM AND COLLECT.
HYPOCRISY IS DEAD!
WEALTHY "GREEN" PUBLIC FIGURES WILL RETHINK THEIR PERSONAL WAYS AND TAKE PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY AND "REDISTRIBUTE"
MANY IN THE NEW ADMINISTRATION WILL WORK PRO BONO AND TAKE PAY CUTS.
WE CANT RELY ON ONE LEADER TO CHANGE THE WORLD.HE WILL DO WHAT HE CAN. BUT THIS WORLD WILL HAVE TO CHANGE TO SEE ANY REAL CHANGE.
IF THE WEALTHY DO NOT DONATE HEAVILY AND LIVE LIKE THE REST OF US...WHAT THEN?? WHAT HAS REALLY CHANGED??
john c must be on crack.. people who voted for Obama got taken for a ride.. free health care, yea right
gime me a break.....
No one said it was going to be free. You don't listen. Not a big surprise, since you think you know it all.
2 days after the election and I am still on cloud nine. This is America's finest moment.
redistribution is here!!!
Yes! We're going to stop redistributing this nation's wealth upwards, and to the already wealthy. and we're going to start redistributing it to the middle and working classes.
I think you mean a level playing field is here.
In case you hadn't noticed, the "redistribution" took place over the last 8 years.....
If that's the case then AIG et al can send the check for the "redistribution" of my bailout taxes to me ASAP.
You know, John, the last two nights we have ,as we say in Greek, "slept the sleep of the righteous". Our souls have rested, our hearts are filled with hope again and we are confident in prayer. This is not just a political moment, it is a spiritual moment for all of us, Americans and others. We should never forget that shadows creep in slowly and make their nests among us. We should always be vigilant, prayful and spiritually intelligent.
Thank you for your contribution.
The true victory is when you look at the kids, and see them filled with hope and dreams again, not fear and loathing. We are America, John, the greatest collection of people under one set of values on earth. And we will disagree. But no more will we impose insanity on the rest of mankind. I am so proud of you, me and all of America. The good guys win.
My daughter's school had a mock election. We live in one of the reddist of the red states. Obama didn't win our state in the real election. But at my daughter's school? . . . I assumed that my daughter's school mates would all vote the way their parents vote and thus they'd "elect" McCain. But they didn't. They "elected" Obama by a landslide. These kids are smarter than their parents. I pray they retain their idealism into adulthood and turn this red state blue one day!
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