In which I flail with joy and awe and anticipation and fear...

[lostakasha]

One bright sunny morning in the shadows of the steeple
By the relief office I seen my people;
As they stood there hungry, I stood there wondering
If this land was made for you and me.
~~Woody Guthrie

How beautiful is it that Pete Seeger can stand on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and sing all the words to This Land Is Your Land and be cheered?? Not the sanitized version we learned in school or in scouts or at camp, but the real, truly populist, angry, and so beautiful protest song?

(A friend of ours is a red diaper baby and loves to entertain us with truly funny tales of going to "commie camp" as a youngster. One summer Pete Seeger came and rallied the kids around the flagpole in the morning to sing that song as the Communist flag was raised. You'd have to hear J tell the story -- she makes it side-splittingly funny for reasons I can't explain.)

To see him today just thrilled me beyond words. Granted, it was on the tee vee, but still. It was HBO -- free! How delightful. *snerk*

It's almost too much to bear, this whole Obama deal. It's so difficult to express, because the color of my skin has given me abundant privileges that an accident of birth does not merit. But I want this day like I want a dip in the ocean on a hot July afternoon; I've waited for this day all my life. To hear him stand at the Lincoln Memorial (and yesterday in Baltimore) and say "gay and lesbian, disabled and not" my jesus mercy he's talking about me too.

Over 32 years have passed since I voted for president for the very first time. My side lost for 20 of those years. When my team did win, they started strong and either broke to dust or shamed me and threw me kind under the bus. I don't know if this will be different. All I know is that I have never been so excited and hopeful and sick with worry.

I feel like I did when I was a little girl, home sick from school, watching Miss Jean's Romper Room. She'd look into a hand mirror and say "Romper bomper stomper doo! Tell me, tell me, tell me true..." and then she'd look into the camera and say hello to kids by name. I waited every damn time for her to say mine. Pins and needles waited. It didn't matter if she didn't -- she never did -- because there was always tomorrow. And that's how Obama makes me feel.

Okay, I have to go cry some more now. If this doesn't stop, by Tuesday they're gonna have to sedate me.

As I was walkin' - I saw a sign there
And that sign said - no tresspassin'
But on the other side it didn't say nothin
Now that side was made for you and me.

Psst...sending love and hugs to the most magnificent a2zmom.

Comments

[a2zmom.livejournal.com]

Thanks, love. Appreciated and needed.

[lostakasha.livejournal.com]

Sending you lots of love, and crossing all appendages. *smishes*

[damnskippytoo.livejournal.com]

Okay, you're not that old. Maybe you meant 32 years? *iz scared I lost track of my own age*

[samsom.livejournal.com]

*helps the old lady over to a chair*

Don't worry, I'll help you count. :D

[lostakasha.livejournal.com]

Can you tell I went to Catholic school? The only thing I can do is multiply. You're right -- I started voting at 18, so that's 34. Sheeeyat, we's still old!

[samsom.livejournal.com]

I have been quietly proud, and quietly thrilled, since Nov. 4th. I am also, like you, worried. Quietly so.

But faith kept us going when the evilness would have sunk us, so faith will continue to spur us on. I'm just so incredibly...I don't know if 'happy' covers it....how about honored?...honored that I got to see this in my lifetime.

[lostakasha.livejournal.com]

Honored, yes. Tremendously. It's just overwhleming.