I have been pondering the emotional reaction I, and many others, seem to have whenever we think of the significance of the Obama election. This little poem tries to explain why. Feel free to forward this on.
All the best,
Rick Gordon
Why Do We Cry?
We cry because it makes us believe again.
We cry because there really is something this country stands for that is bigger than just shopping or me first or American Idol.
We cry because Martin and Bobby and Medgar and Michael Schwerner and Emmet Till and thousands of others died trying to make things better.
We cry because millions of kids in the US suddenly believe maybe they too can become anything they dream of.
We cry because we just spent hours or days or months making phone calls and knocking on doors and putting up signs because we felt it mattered.
We cry because billions of people around the world really believe that America still is the land of opportunity.
We cry because maybe change really can happen.
We cry because the will of the people may matter more than the power of money and business.
We cry because millions of older folk never thought they’d see the day.
We cry because after 8 years of frustration and cynicism and playing lose with the truth, we thought maybe we could never believe again.
We cry because out of many, we can be one.
We cry because times change.
We cry because we are moved.
We cry because we are inspired.
We cry because we hope.