One Day More

.
My morning's darkness gives way to the light,
the haze of night is shaken from my sight,
and a whirlwind of thoughts soar,
take heed,
I ain't got time to be bored.

What day is today?
Is it tomorrow yet?
How long, how long, how long....
have the days been since that November night?
Come on already!
Just make it right.

What's going through my head?
Exuberance, joy, pride, hope, anticipation...
Got's no time to rest
time to get up from this here bed.

Words fail to gather to me now,
As I recognize the dawning of tomorrow
It seemed so far away,
the countless ticking hours,
slowly, slowly, slowly
Sixty days became fifty-nine days,
fifty-nine days became fifty-eight days,
and so on.

But at long last we are down to one,
Only one day more.
Yes, thank God Almighty,
its only one day more.

And when the 'morrow comes,
At noon a man will rise,
place his dark hand on the Bible,
and recite the Oath of Office,

Marking this tremendous American first,
January 20, 2009 will not be just one more day
in a season where light is scarce,
though it will be a cold Winter's mourn,
Americans and people around the world,
will gather and watch this moment,
and bask in the promise of new radiance

Riding on the words "Yes We Can,"
never forgetting the dark days past,
holding dear to the goals and the hope of our foreparents,
A grandmother will look at her grandchild,
a father take hold of his son's hand,
and with a few tears of joy,
they will celebrate together this installation of our new President,

Clinging to Barack's words "HOPE" and "CHANGE,"
We will forge ahead,
never forgetting those who came before.

Our Rosa, Martin, Malcolm, Thurgood,
our Chisholm, DuBois, Bethune,
Just to name a few names,
those among thousands who walked ahead,
We will not forget you,
Our day,
our one day more,
we hold you dear in our thoughts and our hearts,
you gave us inspiration when there was none,
tomorrow will be a celebration of you as well

For this child born in August,
who would later hear the words spoken on another August day
took up your mantle,
gathering that inspiration and rose up to the occasion,
and becomes America's 44th President,

That child,
Barack Obama,
represents your face of America,
a face not so new,
but symbolizing the face of a people,
a people who have been here since the beginning

Barack will take residence in the home built on the back of slaves,
hold an Office where many men before
had not always been so kind to America's darker skinned children,
But Obama's ascension to the Oval Office is a new dawn,
a time to put aside negativity.

For the dream has always been,
though oft times forgot,
this measure of equality
seems at long last,
that American has been given her due,

Too,
we are reminded Barack is not just for one group,
one set aside of individuals,
but for all Americans,
The Black, the White, the Latino, the Asian,
and our brothers who tread the soil long before
European settlers or slave ships from Africa
touched this continent....
Americans,
the tribes of the Native Peoples,
Native Indigenous Americans.

With respect,
I nod and bow my head in honour,
give thanks to you as well.
We who behold this marker in history,
Just like another set many year a' fore,
renew our promise in America,
that we are One.
That the whole is always greater than her parts,
is always best when united,

One people,
one mind,
though we come in different colours,
different creeds,
different faiths,
different genders, race, sexuality,
we are the cacophony of voices that becomes one.

Let's never forget what November 2008 brought,
let's usher forth renewed faith,
take courage to stop the ways of the past,
and bring on a new day.
It is our celebration,
it is our time,
our now,
how great, oh how great,
if we can only wait,
just one day more.....

written 19 January 2009
-Ian E.