But still, like air, I'll rise

Maya Angelou was on one of the morning shows and she quoted a portion of her poem, "Still I Rise," after talking about Barack Obama as the President elect, and, unlike my poems it is not pretentious. I thought I should share it with you:

Still I Rise

You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I'll rise.

Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom?
'Cause I walk like I've got oil wells
Pumping in my living room.

Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I'll rise.

Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops.
Weakened by my soulful cries.

Does my haughtiness offend you?
Don't you take it awful hard
'Cause I laugh like I've got gold mines
Diggin' in my own back yard.

You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I'll rise.

Does my sexiness upset you?
Does it come as a surprise
That I dance like I've got diamonds
At the meeting of my thighs?

Out of the huts of history's shame
I rise
Up from a past that's rooted in pain
I rise
I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that's wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise
I rise.

-Maya Angelou

My Cup Runneth Over...

I wasn't going to comment on the election, but I feel as though I am missing out on this moment if I do not do so. I was sitting with Laura when Katie Couric suddenly announced Barack Obama as the 44th president of the United States. Tears immediately threatened to overflow from my eyes. I held in the tears and pretended like it was not a big deal because I was with Laura. However, if I had been alone I would have allowed the tears to flow. This was a dramatic reaction, but it felt like a dramatic and historic victory.

I have been a supporter of Obama for 4 years and I am in shock that what was once a dream has actually solidified into reality. I generally do not think of Barack Obama as a black man, rather I think of him as a politician who actually gives me hope in the system and makes me want to work together with others to improve the lives of Americans. However, when I heard the words, "Barack Obama is our 44th President," I could not help but note the historic significance for our nation and it was this that brought tears to my eyes. It was this that brought a lump to my throat as Barack, Michelle and the girls walked across that stage in Grant Park in front of a huge crowd of people; people of all colors who were cheering, crying and celebrating together.

(2008 was my third presidential election and I am so relieved that we are not re-counting and filing lawsuits with this one. It feels like the system works. Americans can choose one person in an election and then they can think for themselves and change their minds in the next election.)