That was the day I woke
to the still-dark news
that we had chosen a bad
leader. I say “we”
but it didn’t feel like us,
though it was; it was our
process, our divided land.
It showed me who we were
right then, what we had become
in our selfishness and greed,
and how I had played along
by buying plastic toys
for my kids, going to superhero
movies, and doing nothing
else but vote. The trumpet
shouted out of key, it squeaked
and sweated, was out of step
with the band, and I could not
watch or listen. But by then
I had changed, and now I talk
to my neighbors, and they vote
for me—to do small things
for local people, and to keep
them informed, and together
we elected a better leader,
a human with compassion
who will make mistakes, try
hard, and fix things that can
be fixed, with dignity and hope.
— Babs
to the still-dark news
that we had chosen a bad
leader. I say “we”
but it didn’t feel like us,
though it was; it was our
process, our divided land.
It showed me who we were
right then, what we had become
in our selfishness and greed,
and how I had played along
by buying plastic toys
for my kids, going to superhero
movies, and doing nothing
else but vote. The trumpet
shouted out of key, it squeaked
and sweated, was out of step
with the band, and I could not
watch or listen. But by then
I had changed, and now I talk
to my neighbors, and they vote
for me—to do small things
for local people, and to keep
them informed, and together
we elected a better leader,
a human with compassion
who will make mistakes, try
hard, and fix things that can
be fixed, with dignity and hope.
— Babs
Thank you for doing more than lament that day and the following 4 years, thank you for taking action. Your writing brought back a very visceral memory etched forever in my mind of that fateful day after the election. May we never, ever experience that again.
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading and commenting! I just turned in my petition to run again (for small party office that helps other candidates as well as the precinct residents), and will march in the St. Patrick's Day Parade in support of a county board candidate. Every little bit helps!
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