November 4, 2008
They stood there in line with me,
listened intently to conversations
around us, the giggles and whispers,
stifling their joy as they have for years,
decades, centuries—the absentee voters.
And when we entered the voting booth,
I heard their weeping. Their hands on mine
darkening the circle on the paper ballot,
our grip on the pencil tight enough to break,
the weight of us overflowing.
(The last line is taken from the first line of Philip Schultz’s poem “The Amount of Us.” )
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9 comments:
lovely.
Oh, this moved me, very deeply.
xo
lisa
Can this really be?
Then day after day...it is true.
The 'mutts like me' comment
melting a few red necks, even.
Maybe...the trust/charisma is
only getting started. Someone
to be proud of.
The "mutt like me" comment got to me, too. Yes, indeed, someone worthy of our hope and trust has arrived.
Thanks Jim.
Thanks for the kind thoughts, ladies.
Wow.
oh, this is so beautiful! legally i can't vote but i felt as though i had voted in spirit. i'm so moved by the overwhelming response here and in the rest of the world, i can't even contain myself :)
Short and quite perfect, really. Glad to have discovered your blog via C. Dale. I've already added you to my blogroll.
Thanks Collin. The feeling is mutual, and I'll add you to my blogroll.
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