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This week’s round up is hosted by Cathy at Merely Day by Day.
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I want so badly to believe this country is kinder and less afraid than it is.
-Courtney E. Martin
Of the many comforting thoughts shared post-election across social media and among compatriots, Courtney Martin’s resonate deeply (her blog “the examined family” is worthy of subscription).
In my post-election malaise, I wonder if I am clueless to the pain and suffering of those driven to vote for Donald Trump. That must be the reason, right? Things must be horrible if you are compelled to choose a leader who demeans people (women, immigrants, the disabled to name a few), who speaks like a 4th grader, who admires dictators, who threatens to use the military on people who disagree with him, who whips up fear and division to motivate people.
Things must be awful to believe a sexually abusive, often nonsensical, convicted felon, and aging white man will be a better leader than an intelligent, accomplished, thoughtful, young, mixed-race female. It saddens me that this kind of fear has taken hold of our country.
We are an imperfect nation. We are always on the way to becoming what the ideals of our constitution stand for. I would hope that joining together to seek solutions to the problems in our country – doing the hard work of democracy—would be the choice voters would make.
Why do I feel as though all we’ve done is vote in false promises?
post-election daze
I see…
the Gila woodpecker alighting
atop my gray ghost cactus,
shrill chirps announce each dip,
a drink of the night bloom’s remains
a hummingbird flits nearby,
risky click-clicks shoo away the pecker
so it too, might partake
but it finds nothing in the remnants
a flock of doves in thunderous sweep
over the contours of my morning,
so gleeful to swoop up
what they believe is theirs for the taking
a thrasher scolds, desperate
to attract attention to its cause
—to see the work ahead
©2024 Patricia J. Franz
images courtesy of pixaby
And this, from Maria Popova:
In the instability, the possibility; in the chaos, the building blocks of a stronger structure.
Day Two, post-election
Patricia Franz writes picture books and poetry. She believes children, dogs, and sourdough have a lot to teach us about life, joy, and wonder. She has raised two boys, four dogs, and holds a master’s degree in Theology with a focus on children’s spirituality. Patricia, her husband, her Bernese Mountain dog, Bonny, and her sourdough starter split their time between the Arizona desert and the Sierra Nevada mountains. 
It’s always comforting to turn to the constancy of nature in sad times like these and be reminded of the perseverance and faith needed to move on. Thank you for always sharing so eloquently.
I know this has been a tough few weeks for you, Rose. I hope you are finding rest and solace in the comfort of nature, too.
Turning to nature and beauty is my resolve. Also drawing a small circle of care around me. Thanks for your poem.
Yes…to circles of care! xoxo
Thanks for sharing Courtney’s spot-on quote, your healing poems, and your thoughts post-election. You bring up a very interesting point about not understanding how/why people would vote for such a man. I wonder too, about the nature of their pain and suffering (but don’t Kamala voters also experience pain and suffering?) Fear is a strong motivator, disinformation is rampant, big money dominates, people have short memories. When they vote against their own best interests, we all suffer. Something about his big mouth vulgarity, disrespect, and willful ignorance appeals to them. They champion a weak coward cosplaying as a strong man. That is indeed frightening and tragic.
And I am trying daily to not succumb to fear myself!
“what they believe is theirs for the taking” – so apropos. :>(
Checking for bruises and checking on each other–that’s exactly what this week has felt like.
Thinking of you this weekend, Marcie. I’m glad you have the busy-prep of NCTE to keep you distracted. xoxo
Look to the birds, and as a member of Audubon, real birds here & what that organization has been sharing has helped me these recent days, Patricia. They seem to battle through to achieve their needs, as do humans, though now it appears it’s US and THEM! My daughter believes that people who have continued to support him don’t watch the news, don’t know history, but his appeal, as you wrote, is strength to them, making fun & promises, though they are empty, seem like good ones. Thanks for your beautifully descriptive poem, a joy to me for your apt connections! Thanks for Courtney’s quote & link, too!
Interesting how “bone chill
lets us know we are still here”
This morning my eyes felt as though I had just finished crying, even though I hadn’t. Ghost crying.
Thanks for your post. You’re right that we need Poetry Friday more than ever!
“get about the building”– yes.
As to clueless, here’s what I’ve learned this week. Our bubble is very very small. I think it’s safe to say that most of us here are not so wealthy that we’ve forgotten what it’s like to need to be careful with money; we remember a modest upbringing and we don’t think of our wealth as our reason and justification for being. We don’t vote to hold on to our wealth and the power it brings at at all costs.
Neither are we struggling, so focused each day on getting the kids fed and the bills paid that we can’t think of much else, so if we vote we vote for the possibility that we might finally get ahead. We live in a bubble where we have the luxury of education, of thinking time, we have the privilege of voting our VALUES, not our desperation. And we are very, very few.
I also learned that there are only 43 counties in the whole US where more than 50% of people hold a college degree? There are many fewer of us than I realized who have had much opportunity to learn how to think very broadly or very critically, and it’s easy for those folks, even smart ones, to be duped or swayed by loud propaganda that speaks to their fears.
There’s so much opportunity here. I’m thinking about the Free Community Schools we’ll establish when the Dept of Education is abolished.
Did you see Fareed Zakharia’s piece last week in WashPost? Eye-opening regarding the education element of the electorate.
And I can’t help but think about Bryan Stevenson (Equal Justice Initiative) who says we must “get close” if we are to understand others’ stories.
Deep inhale — and then we need to get going.
Wow. After Heidi’s comment, I’ve got nothing. Wow.