Inauguration Day
January 20th, 2009 Posted in Politics, generalCounting the heads gathered at the center
It’s expectation made manifest
More than a million drawing future breath, watching
A man, an oath, a speech full of fight and promise,
Gathering clouds, raging storms, the urgency of now
History pulled us here, desire compresses years into a moment
New leadership, collective exhale, breathe in, hold again
For the earth, for Gaza, Iraq, Afghanistan, Darfur, the Gulf Coast,
For the next paycheck, the next meal….
Official ceremony closed by the only man who should, the man
Who once said in front of four presidents,
“….in the morning, will words become deeds that meet needs?”
Who showed the power of pointed verse,
Decried “billions more for war, but no more for the poor.”
Lowery’s closing words: “turn to each other, not on each other,”
“Tanks beaten into tractors.”
More than a million drawing future breath, watching
Time for applause, but then quiet, breathing, eyes closing, opening
Oratory fades, thoughts turn to walking, boarding, travelling
Back to daily life
Something has changed, but what?
We make the answer
David Floyd