On an early November day
when the last oak leaves
clung to barren branches,
Americans from Maine to L.A.
set aside their labors
to ring the freedom bell -
one ballot at a time
and decreed the time had come.
And so on a frigid January day
an eloquent man with African DNA,
placed a hand on Lincoln's bible
and vowed allegiance to us all.
Now Barack Obama's family
resides in America's home -
wrought a few scant yesterdays past
by the arms and backs
of human chattel who
though severed from their sacred liberty
held fast to their singing souls.
So with hope - filled mending hearts,
we entrust our nation's wheel
to the steady hand
of a calm and pensive man
who, in his vision, would dare
to unite the heavens with the soil -
one aspiration at a time.
January 20, 2009
Robert Charles Howard
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/obama-takes-the-oath/
