Innaguration Day Poem- First Thoughts In Symbol

Over six months ago

We witnessed the dying of embers

Of that red breath that swept

Our fires from our shores

Onto those ice-laden plains of frustration.



A giant ladle fell from the sky.

Whether this spoon we would bring

To our mouths

Was fire-proof, buffered silver,

Or a worn, toasted wood

We did not know.



The thing we saw that troubled us

Was how the floorboards, and roof-shingles

Cracked in Summer, and leaked in Winter.



We requested the long Spring,

Full of light and play,

And this was given to us by those

Who wished to distract us.



We smashed our boots and bare feet

On a floor of bloodied splinters,

We broke our hands and fingers

Climbing walls to ignite the sky.



We knew we had no control;

The ladle scooped us all up

And carried us on into a future

Without revealing the final destination.



Now, in this symbolic and historic moment,

Of what God's history charitably gave to us,

We are collecting dull coins and stitching together

Shredded dollars, hoping their age and wisdom

Is a strong enough yoke to gather us in,

Egg us on, and protect us from each other



As we rebuild here on this shattered plantation

-Where ghosts of our forefathers have forgotten our names-

Strands of chromosome intertwined, seeking solitude, but unable

To stretch farther from each other than they ever have before.



We will be fed, and we will be housed;

But who it is that fills our plate,

And what type of structure that surrounds us

Once again, is out of our control.



We need real Democracy. And no magic gift from the Heavens

Ever unwrapped itself, and wore itself

Without help from our hands, our force of will



-Let it be known as strength over power,

Forgiveness over judgement- Concepts

Not always well known by a frustrated populace

Tired of extinguishing each other's hate and greed,

But unable to afford the thatches and posts

Necessary to make this house strong.