Now to Rebuild Our Nation
It’s a few days past Election Day, November, two thousand twenty,
Rarely has a nation suffered so much when its coffers are so filled with plenty.
Crises: Health, economy, racial justice, climate, ideological polarization.
But the election is mercifully, thankfully over. Now to rebuild our nation.
Amidst red and blue blending, re-building, making purple . . . coming together at last,
Drawing on our strengths, through inspired leadership, putting each crisis in our past.
A ton of new thinking is required of us as we write this new chapter and page,
And, success by success, hopefully re-achieve . . . leadership on the world stage.
© Forrest W. Heaton, Chapel Hill, NC, 8 November 2020
We wrote the above poem Sunday 8 November, five days following the election, feeling better that more Americans voted for a new administration than voted for the current one. Still, we realized the number who voted for the current administration presented an extraordinary challenge for the incoming President-elect/Vice President-elect/& team and for our democracy.
We’re writing these paragraphs seventeen days following the election, the current White House occupant refusing to concede, attempting to overturn the election, federal/state/local government enablers, for the most part, remaining silent as our democracy is threatened and world position is trashed. Nevertheless, we stand by the poem, pledge our continued full support to the Biden/Harris team, and pray.
Many disturbing items were covered (and are still being covered) on television following the election. We did find, however, one we thoroughly enjoyed. It was created two months pre-election and aired post-election by the Biden campaign in hopes of easing a divided nation. The approach utilizes placing people inside frames, a concept originally developed by artist Lorraine O’Grady in 1983, the campaign correctly asking permission to utilize her concept and O’Grady giving her blessing. We hope that at least a few of the current administration supporters find in this two-minute video some reason to rethink at least a portion of their position. For the rest of us: enjoy!