I'm starting to recover from four long days of Get Out The Vote. I ran a staging location for the Obama campaign out of my home in a suburb of Cleveland. Although it was stressful at times, there were some special moments along the way.
There were two volunteers in particular that made a real difference in our efforts. John and Julius came in on Monday night to hang door hangers. They had never met before, but they agreed to go out into the night together to get the job done. When it reached 11 pm and they hadn't returned, I was concerned. John is in his 70s and it was dark and rainy and many of the volunteers couldn't finish their packets.
In the end, my concern was unwarranted. They returned around midnight with their packets completed. They were tired and wet, but they had become good friends and the chemistry between them was clear. Along the way, these two strangers from different backgrounds had inspired each other. My husband took a picture of us, and as we spoke of our hopes and dreams, I knew this was about more than electing a President.
Julius sent me a poem that he wrote in honor of John. I thought it was appropriate to post it here.
A POEM FOR THE TIMES
FOR PRESIDENT ELECT BARACK OBAMA
ByJulius Tate
History I Am
Time has come and time has passed,
From time to time, We constantly ask
Could there, Will there be, and When can we expect,
A Noble Person voted President Elect...
Beyond a race, and a journey at its toughest,
A Bright Shining Star, geared to end suffering,
Because of hope for change and a leap of faith,
Barack Obama just changed the pace,
A pace so ample but yet so stern,
Never giving up and standing so firm,
A people together,
United We Stand,
Brick By Brick and Hand By Hand,
History for the books,
and pictures for the soul,
A soul built on Believing,
That never grows old
People of all sorts, working to win
Hero’s being born,
As it's displayed from within
With A Message for all the World...
O...YES WE CAN!
By:Julius Tate