When the election results came through last weekend, I was weeding the garden. This proved more metaphorical than I anticipated! I never considered myself political, but as prejudiced policies have erupted and hateful and vile sentiments have seeped into our nation’s laws and policies, I’ve found I can’t remain silent. It isn’t so much about the politics as it is their policies, and how those policies disproportionately affect often marginalized communities. When I saw that Biden had won, I felt relief wash over me. Then it hit me- we have our first female vice president. Not only that, she’s a person of color. I’m so proud of our country for this. We need our governmental bodies to look like our country, and our country is beautifully diverse.

As I knelt in my garden and cried, tears of relief and joy and pride, this poem formed in my mind. Here it is.

I knelt in the garden and cried today

When the news came through.

I let the tears run down my face

As I learned the states turned blue.

Four years of burdens

Oppression, violence, fear

And now finally hope shines through.

I knelt in the garden and cried today

After the relief had washed over me

When it dawned on me suddenly-

We now have a place at the table,

A place of power and respect,

That before was solely held by men.

I felt the sobs deep in my heart

For all who came before,

And walked away without the win,

Back when we hung our heads once more.

I knelt in the garden and cried today

I let the grief flow through

For all the times we tried and lost,

For all that those days cost.

Then I stood and raised my head

To see the sun shine bright,

I felt the breeze and saw the trees

Dancing with the wind.

I smiled and felt content,

Despite my already knowing

The days of work are long ahead.

But now our voice has an audience

So we can stand strong 

With history at our backs

And spend no more days

Kneeling and crying in the garden.