Hope splashes the streets
Joy drips from the lampposts
Houses cannot hold us
Hell, gravity can't hold us
'Cause tonight we stormed the fortress of our apathy
Today is our generation's D-day
Today we took the myth that patriotism was fear, and hate, and sloth, and we smashed it
We smashed it with a vote in our hands and our voice on our blog, our twitter, our phone, our blackberry.
And in the broken shards of four-years-then-eight, we found American pride,
just sitting there, ticked we'd taken so long.
Now red, white, and blue bleeds in our eyes
and bites on our hearts--hard enough that we have no choice but to sing our love for this country.
So as we spew out of cars to reach the hands of brothers and sisters we never thought to see before, as drums and honks and banjos end our silence, our chaos dance is a mosaic pasted on the sidewalks, the storefronts, the traffic medians, and the asphalt soil from which we grow our liberty.
Because today we are free.
Today we are America.
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8 comments:
Ben,
This poem is so profound, so rich in language and images. Your Mom shared it with me and some other friends; I have passed it on to many friends. My daughter is in Indonesia this year and has posted it on her blog! It truly speaks to the magic of this moment in history. Thank you so much for writing it and sharing it!
Brenda Janzen in Albuquerque
Hello, Ben.
Georgina, here. Your mother rightfully and very proudly passed on your latest. Your talent continues to be breathtaking (and I mean it)!
I heard my share of honks here in D.C., too. You can imagine that the atmosphere here was--and continues to be--electric.
I hope seminary continues to go well for you. I know you'll be traveling for a year. I look forward to someday hearing you give a sermon!
Have a lovely Thanksgiving--take good care of your mom!
Yours,
Georgina
Benjamin,
Este poema refleja perfectamente mi sentir, no solo gano ese dia nuestro futuro Presidente Obama, pero todos nosotros que tenemos una decendencia minoritaria. Realmente todos hemos ganado esta eleccion! Gracias por poner en estas palabars tan eloquentes un sentir tan profundo! Tu gran admiradora, PACI.
This is such a beautiful, moving poem.
Thank you, and at last, all men are created equally, it took along time but many thanks to our Native American Brothers for that concept.
From a friend CC.
This is so lovely ~ puts tears in my eyes! I could feel all this when I was watching the tv after Obama won and look at all the different places they went to (Like the park, Times Sq., Howard Univ., Kenya, etc.,) It does feel like a brave new world and we are proud and ready to improve our lives, our future and our country!
Your son is so talented ~ I so want to meet him some day!
Xoxo!
Very inspiring words put together in a most heart-felt manner!
Benja: Que orgullosa me siento y me he sentido siempre de ti, tu poema es bellisimo y en pocas palabras expresa lo que mucho de nosotros espera del Nuevo Presidente Obama. Tu Abuela Artemisa
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